Han and Chewie enter the race, and find that they are outclassed by the wealthy participants, except for the most successful and oldest one, Lo Ree Anno, who herself was once an outlier to the event but now garners great respect. She flies (you guessed it) solo. Not too many surprises in this narrative, but lots of local color and immersion in the larger Star Wars universe. Liu has set herself up a solid formula that seems ready to give each issue a splashy show-piece or two. Brooks excels at humans and aliens, and the whole seems designed to give us a fun ride with the Han we know and love best.

The team of synthetic and female soldier certainly feels familiar, a riff on the 2nd and 4th films, though tech looks firmly planted in the first one. The grim mood gives us a bit of the 3rd film as well. We even see Amanda Palmer, the daughter Ripley left behind, as one of Zula's nurses. So all the pieces are in place, but it remains to be seen if Dark Horse has anything new to add to the franchise this time out. Last year's Prometheus era series were hit and miss, and also relentless downers. I'd love for this one to at least rack up a few wins.

Then Robinson reveals the new status quo for the title, which is a divisive period on three not very original fronts: evil rich mad scientist, super-prison, and American idol wannabees. While it's nice that there's such a clear plan, Reed and Sue at least seem to accept their reduced status with too much aplomb.

Anka's art is perfectly charming, especially in efficient page composition and panel placement, but elsewhere Bendis is continuing his 'mutants as accidental evils' kick, which I had enough of in the Ultimate reality. Bendis gets in a modicum of witty repartee (especially from Kitty and Illyana), but apparently holo-Xavier has even worse secrets to tell next month. Yeah, like you can top Mrs. Raven Xavier?

Epting is the perfect partner to tell Brubaker's story, his slightly retro realism grounding the very introspective nature of Velvet's life. She's acting alone, planning alone, existing by her own rules and the few people she calls friends are either at risk or capable of jeopardizing her along the way. And Breitweiser keeps the colors on a low burn, not settling for sepia but never overwhelming Epting's dark inks. Velvet's story is already a tragedy; but if she's going down, she's going to do it her way. No more compromises.

Had the art been a little better I would have liked this a bunch more, but as is it still a damn strong issue. The most wonderful thing about these alternate reality stories is that you have no clue where it's going and the ending of this one proves that emphatically.

She has something like a cosmic migraine, and keels over mid-sentence. For no reason other than random multi-versal aftershocks of Wolverine's mistake? And the answer, that Pym will become even more of a jerk than usual and make Ultron even worse? Not a good one. Ultron began as Pym's ersatz son, an artificial rolling Oedipus Complex that never got over its primal trauma of existence. It did occasionally fixate on Janet as mother/lover/fetish. The further you get away from the twisted psychological dysfunction connected to this

This is a whole lot to have going on in a first issue, even with a helpful "previously" section in the final pages. Albuquerque's expressive art is more about drama and smoke and teeth and claws than it is about narrative clarity (in a kind of Gene Colan way, speaking of vampire precedents). So you have to submit to the ride without knowing the destination at all. If you liked the seductive southwestern thrills of American Vampire before " they're back.

Leonard Kirk's art is strong, as always. Kesel gives it a real nice spit and polish with his clean lines. But nothing can make these rote motions really feel fresh.

John Sublime, who has apparently been sleeping with self-destructive Rachel, is connected to Arkea, but it's pretty weird when he's the sympathetic one (as he too is an anti-mutant virus masquerading as a man). This is just one chapter in the ongoing saga of the distaff X-team, and I can't say I'm on top of all the multi-layered plot threads or how Arkea manages to wake up a submerge cadre of Sentinels by issue's end. But it's the X-men: I don't have to understand it all. They just have to be badass, and look great as they're fighting the latest anti-mutant threat. Mission accomplished.

The great moment this issue is that transition from "old footage" (billed as a 1956 prologue) that occurs with a radically weird zoom into the Don Lawrence Miracleman's impossibly perfect shining smile. We get lost in the glint in his eye, and when we turn the page, Gary Leach has brought us into a realism that seems to make the past Mike remembers so vividly all the more unlikely. And thus begins our exploration of the superman, Nietzsche model.

Natasha would never let that happen to her. But what happens when she meets a foe who can match her skill, or gets caught in a trap she can't escape? This issue doesn't tell us. I'm looking for higher stakes on this title, and also more dramatic art. Noto's painted work is well-drafted and composed, but the red of her hair and even the black of her suit are muted. His pastel world has a sense of realism, but it doesn't really capture the excitement the character lives by, or make for excessively clear fight scenes. Natasha shouldn't live in a gray or brown world; she should be going to extremes.

Fatherless, friendless, hapless Power Ring, on the other hand is worried only about himself. Reaching out in any direction for help with his dominatrix ring and finding only cold rebuffs from his supposed allies. The Crime Syndicate doesn't tolerate weakness. He's definitely the reversal of everything Johns' beloved Green Lanterns are capable of being, which makes him a very revealing case study. When Sinestro shows up at the end, you realize that for Johns Power Ring is as bizarro as anyone ever needs to be.

Medusa's taking it slightly better, and the artists for Inhumanity promise to have no end of fun playing with those undulating scarlet tresses of hers. There's not a lot more to the story than that this month, as we get a brief history of the Inhumans, some speculation about Thanos, and a surprise move by Karnak that catches the Avengers while distracted and ineffective. It remains to be seen whether Fraction can do with the Kirby/FF legacy what he tried with Asgard a few years ago. As it was with Immonen on that work, however, the apocalypse will be gorgeous.

The tone throughout (with Warren and the other child Apocalypse in deep hiding) continues from Remender's Uncanny X-force, on an even grander scale. The mix of mutant and human on this team's makeup isn't as important as the mix of heroism and temptation. Which choice will Wanda make? When did the Wasp get so sassy (and possibly a little kinky)? What are the adult Apocalypse Twins actually up to? It's clear by the end of the issue that they don't have much forgiveness for what Kang did to their lives; every issue has been nearly as full of wild cards as this one, but Remender has laid the groundwork well, and that's what keeps this my only current Avengers read.

Carol's a little too gung-ho to sacrifice herself and there's an extended reference to the birth of Phoenix herself in the face of outer-space mishaps in there somewhere, but you know what? Forget about Infinity, and just enjoy the fireworks. With Pat Olliffe drawing them, they're pretty awesome.

So when the Syndicate intimates that they've killed the Justice League, including Firestorm, they've done the unthinkable as far as she's concerned. She wanted him to always be there, she's even tried to replicate him artificially to solve her own plight. Who knows if this story will go anywhere from this point, but Gates' one-off tell is competently told and compelling, making you want to see whatever act two will follow. The art by Santacruz is 100% DC house-style, in that it's never flashy, but it is carefully delineated and gets the job done. Tony Daniel's cover, however, is the really killer part, taking full advantage of the 3-D luxury to send shards of ice in your face!

The issue reminds me of nothing so much of those extra loopy old Morrison Doom Patrol issues that took cheap but hilarious shots at a variety of the Marvel, DC and Image superhero teams of the time in barely concealed homage/rip-off/extravaganzas that made Crazy Jane, Cliff and Rebus all the more poignant and dramatic in turn.

This series was messy and fun and good looking, but you wouldn't really want to let it use your phone.

Almost as interesting as the book is the letters page, which has quickly become one of those classic ones were fans and creators are sharing with great openness and sincerity. All you have to see is the young woman from North Carolina who made her own costume, and poses in front of the pilot school she attends, to know that DeConnick is really onto something, and whichever artist partner she gets is going to have to face equally high expectations.

This book has been the place where Leviathan grew and grew. This, and Batman and Robin, and Batman itself, have been the place where Damian realized he was a hero, not a villain. All in-born arrogance to the contrary, he liked beating the bad guys, without an agenda of domination of his own. In these stories, Damian took the risky position of siding with his father against his mother, thus making an enemy of an insanely vindictive criminal. These are risks that heroes take every day, and Damian has proved his bravery many times over. He even gets a touching moment of bonding with Dick, celebrating the team they formed while Bruce was time-lost, which was pretty great, he's right about that.

This is a much more somber look at the Black Widow than the Secret Avengers version. Which is weird to say, since I also insist on reading it as an homage to one of my favorite Ms. Marvel comics (#20, when Dave Cockrum designs an eerily convincing tribe of talking lizards), though the Siberian versions seem to prefer all too human fashions.

So this comic seemed like a Marvel NOW! sure bet, and #1 comes pretty close, with a few caveats. There couldn't be a more Bendis-derivative Avengers comic since he's finally off the franchise. This issue picks up threads from The Initiative, from Civil War, and even Secret War. It has a very heavy dose of Maria Hill and even the palpable off-screen presence of Daisy Johnson. Nick Fury has well and truly become Samuel Jackson in 616 (yes, I believe how they did it in continuity, but it's still ripe for humor), and Phil Coulson is all over the place.

You ask, "Are we interested in permanent change as its own reward, or change as an evolution on a spectrum of possibilities?" This makes me question my biases here: as a reader more of graphic novels than single issues, am I expecting too much from this resolution?

Real Talk: Bluewater's Milestones of Art Series A comic review article by: Shawn Hill, Jason Sacks, Daniel Elkin Some comics are too big, hypeworthy or insane for one reviewer to cover. Which is why we have Real Talk, an outlet for a group of reviewers to tackle a comic together and either come to a consensus or verbally arm wrestle until there's nothing left to say.

The issue starts off a bit slow, but, man, those last four pages or so, totally what I expect from Remender. WTF is up with the Red Skull's new cronies? A giant sea-turtle and a chick with a bag of talking wind? I'm so hooked. Just like Xavier, this comic has me a bit out of my mind.

As dark as these titles are, I’d rather see them go even darker than settle into the predictable clichs that have thus far been the extent of the plot movement. The characters (save for the overloaded Beowulf) are blank slates that need to be filled in fast.

Where's Cassandra Craft? Where are Tannarak or Tala? Where's a Lovecraftian tentacle monster, or even a hint of real mystery or terror? A ghost even? Or a conniving demon? For that matter, I'd settle for Constantine or Doctor Thirteen! Zatanna? Lemire is using half of them pretty well in Justice League Dark, but this bland Stranger wouldn't fit in anymore. He seems unlikely to become someone who at least knows all about people who matter. This is one big misfire, a disappointment.

The issue comes with the choice of several promo covers (depending on what your shop orders), as BOOM! debuts often do, and while I was partial to those that homage the more famous Hellfire Club of the X-Men (including parodies of Uncanny X-men #134 and New Mutants #39 by Josh Corvey), I ended up picking the cinematic one by Mike Perkins that features the Union Jack. It’s the most like what you’ll find inside.

But for heaven's sake, at least get an inker and colorist, ASAP! The art undermines the words at every turn, and including a selection of fan art celebrating the new look (or comparing the recent Dodsons-illustrated Avenging Spider-Man issue where she debuted) serves only to underline the disconnect.

He shoots one arrow, two coins and a playing card in this issue -- and throws a bunch of punches, only some of which land -- but I've got no worries. If this is how these guys do a slice of life, they're going to be just fine when the stakes get higher and the big targets start popping up.

Campbell doesn't hold back on the blood and gore, but is almost better on the simple eeriness of levitating witches, glowing possessed eyes, and the flutter of batwings in the many looming inky black shadows. When Angelique fails, things return to the normal quiet gloom of Collinwood, but it looks like the ghosts of Barnabas' many victims will be showing up next issue. That's the right move now, as we need to be recaptured by his plight in this new medium as his original fans once were two generations ago.

We've got a group here at this late point in the series who know each other's secrets, but who act as a unit despite their curses, so when werewolf Quentin allows vampire Barnabas to feed, you know it's just a way of powering up to face Angelique. Her confrontation with Caroline in the town pub is well-played, a war of the blondes between the good human one and the reanimated porcelain doll.

Oh well, they're all big kids, and this was a story for big readers. If we do it again, can we have even more fights? You get the sense that, when Victor slams a foe into a wall, or the Blonde Phantom kicks her tormenter in the throat, that's where Chaykin's heart really lies.

The action this issue involves Amadeus again using his powers unwisely (but with a goal in mind). Hes apparently become a kind of junior Magneto, but the sequence where he bilks the system at a casino shows just how reckless and unsubtle these kids can be. Theyre already in over their heads, which they intuit more than know. If Bendis keeps up the level of character work, however, we might still care when the really bad things start happening.

It does allow for a powerful final moment for Simon, even as the Avengers are yet again mired in all-too predictable public reprobation. Bendis creates another death knell for the illusory Heroic Age, but I'm choosing to see it as his swan song; he's really got nothing left to say about the Avengers, and can't be off the books soon enough for my taste. All of them.

That battle between Midnighter and Harry Tanner (master of energy swords, apparently) is well-choreographed, and would be sort of epic if we knew anything about who Harry was or whether to believe or doubt him. Then a lot of things happen very quickly, just a few touching on the widescreen scale that should be a signature of this title. Cornell has one more issue to wrap up his vision, and then the creative direction changes. He's leaving everything in ruins, apparently, which could be either a gift or a curse. This issue remains frustratingly obtuse, because the potential for epic scale is there, but so far unrealized.

Paco Medina's art is perfectly acceptable. While not reaching the distinctive heights of Adams, not being asked to draw Wasp's intestines (or to forget that she's Asian in this reality) puts him miles ahead of David Finch. I think there's a Scarlet Witch story in the works, and I'm sure he's up to the task. He just needs fresh characters to draw.

How weird does the generation gap get when some of the "parents" are bloodsucking immortals? I'm sure we'll see, if Travis survives his lone wolf approach to his mission to stake.

This is one of his tighter-illustrated issues, so the city looks very believably threatened by the giant terrorist zombie, and several major stories have had their climaxes.

If it all seems like a lot to mix up in one issue, Spencer's pacing and Craig's creatively jagged and dynamic layouts (either the panels are skewed, or the perspective inside them is, in dramatic variations from page to page) keep it all quite clear. This book has a long history, but Spencer is using it to tell new and thrilling stories.

Notice I didnt say Batwoman, even though this is her title. Shes still about two steps behind on the whole drowning ghost thing, though I expect her to spring into action when she learns about Betty next issue.

Chaykin cheats us of another scene where Namora and the Blonde Phantom subdue a freak in a robo-wheelchair (whom we already saw fenestrate Sabretooth), but it does make for a funny reveal. Skul's attack on Wakanda is literally powered by Count von Blitzkrieg, and the rabid racism on display earns serious payback, surely coming next issue. I mean, it's called "The Exquisiteness of Battle," after all! Chaykin has taken a kernel of a flashback idea from one of Bendis' main Avengers titles, and turned it into winning and inventive lost Avengers classic.

The villainous biomass doesn't matter so much, and we only get passing references to the giant horn and the angry moon that are also part of the current apocalypse this time, but that's fine, because we also get to see an ancient city reborn, we get cool captions like "inside the monster," and we get that tender caress between Midnighter and Apollo, who have finally met cute. It seems DC isn't scared of them anymore. Good, so let Cornell write the stories he wants and let the robot kill Adam One, and everything will be fine!

I'll let you figure out Ennis' latest lovefest of homages, because, really, you have to love all the originals to parody them this rudely. At least Russ Braun makes them look as pretty as possible.

It seems the Legion survived the 52 onslaught just fine, only not in either of the two main books. Maybe the focused tone of this miniseries will reverberate.

While it's not completely believable that every leader in the known universe is a super-strong muscular male with a mostly sympathetic female (of one species or another) on his arm and in his bed, such a stereotypical tough guy setup does allow Kirkman to create a parallel of empathy between the Great Allen and Telia and Nolan and Deborah (and Mark and Eve, whom we've seen have many bedtime tte--ttes), just in time to break it forcibly in the cliffhanger. While not as interesting as Mark's story on Earth, check-ins with the supporting players like these are important because of the long-term plot implications. And Cory Walker's version of space opera is exuberant, brightly lit and funny, despite the dark note on which we end.

We've seen Butcher become the cold killing machine he was almost raised to become, and understand clearly how Becky's death (and the insane way it happened) inevitably placed him on this path. We'll cheer when the Homelander finally pays for his crimes. But is Billy's revenge the best we can hope for? Becky lived her final days in silent suffering in order to keep him from this path of violence as long as she could.

Let's hope he's as intriguing as the immortal Shade himself, though that's not very likely. Starman readers know there's enough to this anti-hero to make his love affair with Opal City cop Hope O'Dare something worth fighting for, but that doesn't mean he hasn't had a very long time to make some very bad enemies. Robinson is much more at home here than he was putting the Justice League through the motions prior to October. Let's hope the mix of repartee and action with a mystical bent is a balance he can maintain.

The weaknesses were also consistent. Sorry Matt, while everyone sounds right, the beats of the story were just too telegraphed. It was big. It was epic. It was devastating. But I was more entertained by Skirn and Greithoth torturing the students in Avengers Academy than I was by the simple martial battle steps in the main story. There was some quirky deviltry afoot in that part of the crossover, and seeing how the heroes coped in New Avengers and some of the other affected titles led to some strong character showcases. Though even there it got to the point that I was pretty tired of seeing the trade dress on yet another title by the end of the summer.

Shawn Hill knows two things: comics and art history. Find his art at Cornekopia.net.

Our two American spies/adventures/vampire hunters are captured and in dire straits. Their scientist amigo is on the loose, but the elder vampires he so prized have yet to come back to life. Earlier points in this story revealed eerie details like the ancient Egyptian statue that bled when exposed to light (for it was no statue at all, but instead a living, dormant, giant vampire).

Yep, it's poor pitiful Buffy again this issue, which is not a path I want to revisit particularly. I can only hope these echoes of the uneven Season Six won't continue for long. We already went through that in the wildly spinning highs and diverse reveals of Season Eight. I'm hoping for more of a Season Five or Season Seven vibe at this point: one featuring a foe geared to foil Buffy's particular gifts, until she figures out to foil theirs.

The dudes are by definition badass in Chaykin's noir-ish period, and the femmes are usually fatales. The first scary sequence is when Fury has to defend himself from a samurai streetwalker. She ends up impaled on a pointy parking sign. The second is when Dominic Fortune has to push his date and himself out of his airplane because it's getting strafed. They're both wearing nightgowns.

This issue in a way is a crossroads for the series. Or maybe the apex between what has come before and what's coming soon. It's that point between which the two vectors collide, inevitably. On one level, we've got an echo of what happened with the Lamplighter situation. Pissed at having their outright dominance questioned by the Boys (really at losing face), Lamplighter murdered Mallory's two daughters. So the Boys took care of him, in a final situation kind of way.

It worked in the movies, at least the ones with Christopher Reeve, because of Reeve and the rest of the cast of amusing character actors. And Supes is fine as a team player, whether with the Legion or the Justice League or whoever he's helping out. But alone, being the perfect guy who never actually gets what he really wants? Not for me.

Inside, Francis Portela does an excellent job with cleverly modernized new costumes, as Levitz combines the survivors from Legion Academy with the main team to begin a new adventure against the Dominators, apparently. There's an especially nice splash page that divides the current roster into a variety of sub-teams who might work for future missions.

Ennis is a cruel one. He's really getting ready to jab the knife in, hard. This is the issue where we meet her. The lovely russet-haired beauty on the cover, fit to be played by the likes of Rula Lenska (if anyone remembers the old shampoo commercial). Name of Becky. She and Billy meet cute on a train, and it's all downhill from there.

I'd like to welcome everyone to a personal love letter from Bendis to the character that put him on the Marvel map, Daredevil. C'mon in, it's okay, they know you're watching. They're ready to share their intimacy with all and sundry.

But I ended up doubting that DC could find anything of worth to bring into the New 52, and somehow merge with the more iconic Justice League (or at least Martian Manhunter), who seemed from the iffy preview art to have been shuffled off to the outskirts to try and sell a minor title. I mean, how well could they work in a universe where the Justice League is taken seriously, since they are pretty much a parody of such traditional virtues and values?

This issue is a nasty piece of work. It exposes the foils and foibles of the underside of the superhero trade. Yes, it's hard to believe the "heroes" we saw partying at Herogasm could have a down side or even dirtier secrets, but there are layers beneath layers here.

This is an underwhelming disappointment. One comes to a Hawkeye comic hoping for a barrage of on-target attacks, masterful action scenes starring the hero who never misses (and who has a reason to always be on point and ready to aim and fire, as we saw his family killed before his eyes when he was betrayed by a colleague a few years back). I don't think one is looking instead for a murky reading on the state of East/West politics, a generic cameo from Nick Fury or a retread plot from old mutant books.

This is an underwhelming disappointment. One comes to a Hawkeye comic hoping for a barrage of on-target attacks, masterful action scenes starring the hero who never misses (and who has a reason to always be on point and ready to aim and fire, as we saw his family killed before his eyes when he was betrayed by a colleague a few years back). I don't think one is looking instead for a murky reading on the state of East/West politics, a generic cameo from Nick Fury or a retread plot from old mutant books.

This is one of those issues where a lot of plot threads alternate on a variety of fronts. I generally love those issues, if I'm as invested in a series as I am in this one. Lots of things happen, some of them a little confusing if you've forgotten past details, others very exciting and cool. And of course, given that it's Kirkman, usually funny.

Last time I was reading this title (50 issues ago), the Titans were fighting future doppelgangers of themselves. They'd just defeated an evil clone of Superboy, who had just been killed by Superboy Prime, after having been turned evil by Luthor so he could attack his fellow Titans. Now he's back, and though they've switched Robins and made a few new friends, the team is pretty much intact. It's not too far from the original group Johns gathered when he launched this once-exciting new version of the premiere DC legacy team, and Krul and Scott acquit themselves well with this issue. Whatever I may have missed, I'm not lost, the title is still true to its roots. It's a large cast who stick together because they care about each other.

I've been Team Gage since he was at Wildstorm, and he's really come onto his own with the high concept of this title, surely the best thing to come out of the whole Dark Reign/Initiative brouhaha. Partly due to Mike McKone's initial presence, surely, this title has felt like the Marvel take on what the Teen Titans could be, in a way entirely different from the ostensibly similar Young Avengers (legacy-invested teens) and Runaways (criminally apologist teens).

The Boys #57Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2011By: Shawn Hill Garth EnnisRuss Braun, Tony Avina (c)Dynamite That cover speaks a thousand words. Not all of them apply to this issue, but it's more a hint of things to come. Queen Maeve is up to something, we just don't know what yet. She's removed all the bugs from the Seven's headquarters, the ones that give the Boys such useful intel. It's not likely that she's had a change of heart about betraying her teammates (since they've been betraying her since day one); I'm guessing she's planning to go out in a big, fiery way sometime soon.

Next Men #8Posted: Thursday, August 4, 2011By: Shawn Hill John ByrneJohn Byrne, Ronda Pattison (c), Neil Uyetake (l)IDW I did not realize until I went back and checked (did you know that the most collectible issue of Next Men volume 1, by the way, is #21, which features the debut of Hellboy?), but Byrne has picked up this comic exactly where the first series left off. I mean exactly. All that has happened in these 8 issues thus far is what he was planning back then, so, for long-term readers, we're getting a full story that just happens to have a 17-year-long blip in the middle. Will someone someday come along and fill in those issues that would have been, just as Byrne himself once attempted with X-Men: The Hidden Years? No need, I suppose, because his plotting is air-tight. And the art is just as good.

Invincible #81Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2011By: Shawn Hill Robert KirkmanRyan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn (i), Nick Koutsis (c)Image So, the Viltrumite war is over, with none of those rat bastards currently in evidence. All the bloody carnage and apocalypse scenarios and incredible cost of human life and damage to Mark's body are healed or being repaired, and despite all that excitement, the book is even better for it.

This is as obvious and straightforward as a backstory can be. Billy comes from a classic dysfunctional family, one where he's the black sheep to his younger, smarter, more delicate ("He's a bit of a little girl, if the truth be told" declares dear old dad) brother, and the would-be protector of their imperiled mom. There aren't really a lot of answers for a kid in that predicament, but Butcher's smart enough to realize there's little way out, and to resent his fate.

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6Posted: Thursday, July 14, 2011By: Shawn Hill Allan HeinbergJim Cheung, Mark Morales (i), Justin Ponsor (c)Marvel I simply can't believe how many great things happen in this issue. I'm having a hard time taking it all in, or taking it all seriously. It's surprising to get everything you've hoped for, all at once. I don't want to get my hopes dashed again. Smashed to the little bits they were left in after "Avengers Disassembled."

The case involves a transsexual pimp and a murdered call boy. Make that ladyboy. Jack From Jupiter is implicated, but it may all be a frame up. The madame, Doctor Peculiar, is a feather-festooned quasi-mime, apparently. He helpfully keeps extensive files on all his clients, and seems more than cooperative when Butcher requests a look. Is it a problem that he doesn't speak, and is coded as clownishly effeminate? Or that his luxurious manor is filled with tiffany laps, figurative sculpture, and paintings of nude women? It certainly adds to the weirdness, but that's not really what the issue's about.

The vile Mr. Dark is clearly anticipating a big battle at the beginning of the issue, but the inexorable persona of the North Wind soon has him begging and bargaining for mercy. Buckingham/Leialoha do a great job of the monster's morphing through various wraith-like forms during the battle, which unfolds over several splash pages. The North Wind, by contrast, remains stalwart and unchanged, busy invoking an ancient clause that seals the fate of both beings. It's interesting if a bit anticlimactic that their promised confrontation results both in eternal sacrifice and a simple scene of closing a lid that shouldn't have ever been opened.

That's pretty much it. Blow up Titan, go on and on about Oan power batteries, have Saturn Queen be more depraved than Superboy Prime in his (sorry!) prime whatever, it's all good. We care about more important things: are the teammates doing a good job, and are their personal lives going well? We've got our priorities!

Superia has injured Mockingbird, and we've been waiting three issues to see if she survives. They've been flashback issues illustrated by Howard Chaykin, so the wait has been somewhat ameliorated, but I was getting a little tired of all the hand-wringing.

This heavy reality check triggers in Hughie the need to tell all to Anne, proving he's moved well past his feelings of betrayal at her own compromised past. He even tells off Mallory, to an extent. Now he just wants her to be safe, though whether everyone's agrees with Mallory that Butcher is just as bad as his foes, that he's become a villain too, is still an open question. Anybody wanna bet and whether the Boys will have a happy ending?

There's a lot of potential here, but hopefully the consistently grim tone will be offset by a little light before too long. The Legion shouldn't just be an army: but also a family.

Such telling and other very funny lines are to be found throughout the script; in fact, Dr. Nemesis gets to be the resident cynic laughing off the aliens and monsters with only dart guns and hidden tech devices as his defense. Asmus also captures Emma perfectly in only a few words at the denouement, when she reacts to Scott's return as only she would (and as Scott has learned to love). However, she and everyone else back at Utopia Infirmary look like someone is stretching the film mercilessly from frame to frame, undercutting the intended sentiment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ray Tate also reviewed Next Men #6. Read his thoughts, too!

That there is no next issue doesn't mean the Doom Patrol is down for the count; somebody is sure to remember how much fun hermaphrodites, robots, schizophrenics and gay islands are again, before you know it!

So, had her series continued under Bendis (without that nice Avengers welcome mat), she'd probably still be on the run, betrayed, nude, and stalked by murderous family members. Moon Knight is more of a loner; he just has to contend with his own mental instability, and a self-destructive urge to test himself against stronger foes. I guess that passes for heroism now, but this book is going to need a bigger agenda to really make it worthwhile.

We're building up here (if I recall correctly from the novel I read years ago) to meeting one of Anita's strangest and most depraved foes and learning just how varied the world of occult beings can be. At this point you're either fully invested for the long haul, or you stopped caring long ago. The creators have succeeded in translating Anita Blake into the comics medium; I wonder if they know they've got 17 books left to go. At this rate they'll catch up in 30 years or so.

You'd think the Doom Patrol would work fine in a darker, more realistic era, and that Giffen would be able to keep updating a 50-year old property for a modern audience. Well, aesthetically, he has, as I declare this run the best since Morrison's, and the run most steeped in the DCU proper. Cliff decides, as he always does, to regroup the team and retake the island. Even as he admits his own complicity in the Chief's manipulations over nearly every iteration of forming and reforming the team, it's still a cause he believes in and a way to use what's left of his life. It's all he knows how to do, and that makes him the codependent heart of one of the DCU's most intriguing band of weirdoes.

Things get really weird when Rogue and Gambit reach their goal, a hidden room in the complex that Magneto doesn't recall building. Inside are some really strange time effects, and even weirder spacial anomalies. We still don't find out what's going on, or who "X" might be, but the mystery just deepened in very interesting ways.

That's a compelling character, King's own spin on the femme fatale. Sure, she's Eve and Lilith and every other betraying temptress. But she's also the Magdalene without a redeemer, the Earth Mother with no children to call her own, and one of King's best ever examples of updating a stereotypical role to the detailed specificity not just of the modern day, but of distinctive traits of culture and character, all wound into a tight knot called an individual. Her story, once again, is a tragic one, not least because the battle she's losing is really against herself.

No one really has the charisma of Chuck and Luornu, whose powers (think Multiple Man and Mr. Fantastic, on a smaller scale) aren't all that but whose successful marriage and confidence and bravery have made them heroes many times over. Levitz does some good work connecting Chemical Kid to Chemical King (who died in the line of duty), and the adventure on the Kid's homeworld (where his wealthy family is attacked and the kids get in way over their heads) could become interesting. The book just needs the time for the new concept to click in. All the pieces are there for a home run, they just need a few more innings.

Rogue and Magneto have had a love/hate thing going on ever since their time in the Savage Land, so this may be one more warped chapter in their saga. Leinil Yu's exuberant cover captures some of the energy Carey and Mann have brought to this diverting new way of seeing our familiar friends. For one thing, I can't wait to see Cyclops/Basilisk cut loose.

Their only port in the storm is an old acquaintance of Cliff's in Vegas, and his proposal is the worst of all worst-case scenarios: it happens their host knows General Immortus, and Immortus wants to lead his former enemies in the Chief's absence. The most pitiful thing is our gloomy losers actually consider his offer. I wouldn't put major crazy blow-ups and kiss-offs out of Giffen's purview at this point, so I'm definitely on board for whatever's left of this underrated series. I hope it goes out with a bang!

You know they're going to need it, because the message of Mallory's clearly bitter backwards look is heavy on the macho manpower and military ordinance, and colorist Tony Avina lays in those drab army greens and browns just to make the spandex of these "mystery men" pop all the more ridiculously. It'll take a little more than gumption and a solid right hook to win the upcoming battle, methinks. Or even survive it.

The art continues to impress, not just in the scenes of devastation but in the scenes of ongoing attacks from Reed's biological agents, and in the many scenes of transportation between locales required by the script. An issue that takes a little breather is a welcome one at this point, and an unexpected change from the old Bendis tack of blowing everything up and sifting through the wreckage later. Is it along the lines of the way he's trying to make his magic spells sound believable in his Avengers titles? Could he finally starting to dot his I's and cross his T's? Time will tell, but at least there's a sense of hope and capability on the part of the heroes that is a refreshing aid to making this story more than just a futile exercise in the graveyard of the Ultimate milieu.

I had to check and see if Ellis' run on the parent title has ended, as I couldn't recall how the final arc played out. Something about a little old man trying for revenge was it? This spin-off started before that tale was complete, but now there are ads for the title's new direction all over the place. Despite his underwhelming "Ghost Box" fixation -- the mutants already have time travel and space travel, do they really need alternate universe travel as well? -- this is a rocking issue, and a huge bump-up for a mini that has been somewhat uneven. I'm probably done with the main title, but it's nice to see Ellis go out on a definite high.

Is there anything here for readers who aren't fans of the books? Well, sort of -- I've stopped reading the new books at this point (they've become extremely uneven), but I definitely enjoyed the first five or so, and I'm enjoying reliving my initial acquaintances with the characters on the painted page.

Is it heavy-handed and simplistic that the fight between good and evil merely involves choosing sides? Yes, but it's also by turns thrilling and frightful. This team remains as surefooted as ever in depicting small-scale human triumphs and tragedies within the framework of an epic disaster.

Brian Douglas Ahearn's drawings for the board game are irreverent and goofy, but I think it's probably indispensable as the best guide yet to just who is who and what is what in Legion lore at this point.

Well, he finally takes the first step towards doing the right thing, and it gives me hope that when he returns to the team, Butcher's worst may have as much effect on him as he or the mysterious Mallory (alluded to in this story very intriguingly) have ever had on Butcher. Which is to say, by joining the Boys, Hughie's become something more than a wronged victim seeking vengeance. He's actually become an adult, and it's wonderful to read about.

There are hints that Season 9 won't try so hard to be epic. I'm in favor of that. I only hope there's a way not to punish Buffy for saving our asses again and again, too.

Robertson's cover is a clever play on the first issue, a window into an alternate moment. Braun's straightforward style has been a seamless transition from Robertson's slightly more pointed caricatures, as the characters remain utterly familiar. Tony Avina's colors maintain the mood, all that vulnerable skin surrounded by long black trenches and shadowy architecture. If the blood-soaked hangar is a bit over-the-top (and repetitive), well, this has always been a book where subtlety is more in the form of slowly dawning implications in the midst of graphic scenes of violence.

The threat that develops this issue is a rather generic one and the surprise regarding new friend Kiran is pretty predictable. But that's fine, I'm really reading this issue to see how Cassie has grown and she's done so to the extent that she gains an ally, participates in a team-up and gets over herself enough to reach out to her mom. A bit too formulaic to be a classic, but this issue provides an intriguing look at an unlikely character who has really grown into her own. The whole product fits the mood of Nicola Scott's celebratory cover, showing Wonder Girl in glorious flight.

I've got a stake in whether Wanda is healed, or forgiven, or exiled further. But that's not the only reason I'm sticking around. This isn't just the Big Guns, or big catastrophic demonstrations of power (you'll find that in the Bendis titles, which are actually best when they're funny). And it isn't espionage. It's the tapestry of the Marvel universe, full of charismatic heroes and those who believe in their legacy.

And, seriously, what is up with that cover? Is that Emma clinging to Wolverine's legs? How does Wolverine conquering Africa equate to Conan conquering everyone? And, shouldn't it be Scott's legs? And why would she ever do that? A cover like this just confuses me further about which book I'm reading. I have to accept that Kaare Andrews takes free license on the covers (and last month's was a funny comment on the Scott/Emma relationship), but again, it's another factor that would make more sense without the delays. I need a refresher course when each new issue arrives at this point.

Sandoval's art remains expressive and he's on the money in remembering that Ultimate Sue is a young woman, not a sixties housewife. She, Reed and Johnny all display their powers in dramatic ways, and the action moves fluidly from scene to scene. We're left with not one but at least three cliffhangers, as we find Bendis doing his best to keep the Ultimate universe an entertainingly fresh alternative to 616 Marvel.

I won't decode the Aklo, though the lisping was just a minor perceptual adjustment (easy enough to substitute all those esses back in). If I start to understand Mer-demon, though, as Brears seems too, time to lock me up. This time I have more of an idea where next issue might go. Predictably, I still want to see it.

Ahh, who'd want it to anyway? Life's so much more interesting on the dirty streets and the battlefields of the fallen.

There are definitely enough Legionnaires to fill two books, and they will hopefully do so in a flexible but interrelated fashion.

In the end, Batwoman seems to pass muster with Bruce; truly, her shallow faade as the jaded socialite is a role not dissimilar to his spoiled playboy. If Williams can keep sharing art and writing duties with this level of stylish execution, I'm definitely on board for her upcoming solo series.

Moonknight and the Beast don't get much play this issue, but it's no surprise to see the Widow and Ant-Man succeed at stealth maneuvers. The inspired team up of Valkyrie and Prince of Orphans (invading an enemy stronghold at night) shows versatile subtlety on the part of the former and further wellsprings of wisdom from the welcome presence of the latter. It's all apparently being orchestrated by some sorts of demonic creatures, but that hardly matters as it's the excitement, action and character interplay that attracts, the typical best weapons in Brubaker's inventive arsenal.

The third special feature is a reprint of issue #1, which, as it's been 13 years, is a pretty timely move. Unlike the fate of our guest character in the first story, which underlines the dark humor that Walker excels at and Parker is also managing to channel in this current hard edged take on the concept. Let's give those ladies more to do than to drool over any men who happen to stop by, though.

The art is a weak point in the issue. While Garbett provides a decent Kirby-esque Fourth World pastiche at a needed moment, most of his sequences are standard DC house style, adequate depictions of muscular guys standing amidst flashy lights. Perez is a wee bit less stiff and more expressive on his pages, and the styles don't clash at all, but we've had the distinctive work of Georges Jeanty, Frazer Irving, Ryan Sook, and Chris Sprouse on this series, so it's too bad the final issue has to settle for competence rather than inspiration. That damned hyperfauna, not to mention the "bush robots," could have been a lot weirder.

I don't remember where Faith is (probably fisticuffs), but Giles and Buffy get a tender reunion moment where they both acknowledge that they've become grownups and peers. Which Buffy has heard before, but she's always been one for extra dollops of affirmation. Jeanty turns in one of his top attempts at character recognition, losing the details as always in widescreen but zooming in for several effective close-ups. I'd actually like to learn more about Angel's (and Buffy's) god-like son, and I'm worried that solving the Hellmouth/Seed riddle might lead to shutting down the Slayer Army again, but this issue is balls out rushing to the finale, and it's a rollercoaster of fun!

As all the elements reach their planned climaxes, we're left with scenes of subtle cunning, base betrayal, insouciant attitude, and predictable sequels. Not all of the beats convince, but most of them are interesting, and the main characters have their usual characteristic moments of banter. If it's not quite the epic this title meant to have to restart (you just can't do epic if your formula is alternating blitzkrieg and truce, with no stages of development in between), it's definitely much better than the inane distractions of the old numbering, with the team hounded and reviled as criminals. It's good to have the adventures of the team be their own again, though I think New Avengers and its comedic bent is a little closer to the best Bendis can do in the Heroic Age.

If it is, as Ive hinted above, yet another game by that god who always has it in for Diana, then he is well within the established territory for this title. However, thus far the mix of arcane mumbo jumbo and military might has been a rough, uneven ride.

The real chill this issue comes from Mother Abigail's confrontation with a talking wolf in her bedroom and Perkins does a great job selling the subtle horror of this incongruity, a shocking enough event to spur Abigail to unexpected solo action. There's nothing wrong, actually, with this issue. It's just that given the exciting, squeamish, intense, and horrific sequences we've witnessed thus far, it's a bit of a letdown to take a breather before what is hopefully all hell breaking loose next issue.

Irving's fight sequences, while intriguing, seem to fragment the action into bits and pieces, but that's part of his truly unique style, which is forgivable since the whole package is so coherent and entertaining. This entire arc is reading like a terse, elegantly choreographed stage play, and it's about time to get your bravos ready.

New Avengers #5 would be less palatable without an artist as gifted as Stuart Immonen to sell every mood, every glance, every line of dialogue, and every glancing beam of power. This work may not be his best ever (I think I'll let the more expansive Nextwave stay unchallenged on that front), but he's a vital part of a team clearly capable of creating a book thats equal parts fun and violence.

A deus ex machina of a sort saves them, but not before everyone learns a little bit more about not just their angst causing alienation, but also their anguished but deep familial ties. It'd be fun to see this group interact more with the rest of the DC universe, though painting them all as unrepentantly surly Wolverines is certainly another valid way to go. This title is under appreciated.

The real core of the issue, thankfully, is familial dynamics. While Ben deals stoically with further mutation, Valeria takes action to correct a failing she finds in Reed, and takes it all the way to Latveria. Hickman seems to have a strong handle on who Doom is (even in his current reduced state), and his Valeria is one of those charming child savants. But I don't think we get hint one of who might be killed to make Three happen, and I can only hope Epting sticks around to make sense of it when it does.

George Perez turns in the art on the main story, and thus turns back the clock to 1985 effortlessly. The back-up feature may be even better, as it is a 100% Silver Age type tale of several time and space travelers who have been kidnapped to do battle on an alien planet, illustrated by the amazing Walt Simonson. It's fun to see these guys (including Adam Strange and Tommy Tomorrow and Captain Comet) both follow and break the rules of old conventions, in a manner as entertaining as it is goofily artificial. One of their foes wields a deadly vacuum cleaner!

In the end, Foggy and Dakota learn there are worse things than ninja attacks, and we experience a growing sense of inevitable doom. It's beyond time for a desperate move of salvation, but there's no cavalry on the horizon. I'm still intrigued by this dark and dramatic story. Though there are many ancillary titles, this tale knows its place in a set geographic corner of the Marvel universe--keeping things coherent and focused on a tight, Daredevil-ready group of supporting players.

I don't read comics to find out how bad everything can potentially be all around me; I read them to escape into a world a little more perfect, a little more attractive, a little more powerful and widescreen than my own. So I give this book an average score for being efficient at doing what it does for those who might be into it; personally, I miss the Skrulls.

And how do Amazons have an old woman amongst their sisterhood? You mean these arent immortal? Theres a hint or two that these Amazons are just human believers who heard about a hidden temple and then invoked it as part of their faith. But its another unresolved ambiguity in the mythos that obscures rather than clarifies. There are some issues in this story worth exploring, but they remain difficult to discern.

Fittingly, this issue mostly concerns how Riley and Samantha act as a couple in service of their country, in loyalty to each other, and as infiltrators of Twilight's misguided regime. Espenson makes sure to parallel his journey with Angel's own, as both are undertaking a ruse for Buffy's sake, or at least that's what they tell themselves. The character is the same man we've come to know and this is a solid issue of entertaining back story for those of us still immersed in season eight as it nears its end.

So this is a good, solid issue, but it's a bit of an anti-climax to the fears building up around the Serpent Crown, which is veering off on a tangent by issue's end. Maybe it will all add up, but I wanted more of a story advance than one cool moment involving Cap.

Maybe the wolves can do something about it, because they pop back in, too. One way or another, it all ends for Gary next issue. It's been a great, dark, bloody ride. Howard is great as always. I'm not sure why pages 4 and 5 are a full splash of the elder wolf, who as usual says nothing useful in a very menacing way. But I think it'll all be clear in a month.

At this point, not having all these questions answered only raises the stakes. This story is dark and punctuated by moments of extreme violence, but its an exciting mystery so far.

This issue features none of the bloody conflicts or supernatural attacks that others have shown, yet a sense of growing anxiety builds inexorably even in the fragile stronghold of the Free Zone. All of the drama plays out in interesting conversations and well-chosen narration that shows rather than telling. Even when King exposits, he has characters do it with such personality that he gets away with it. This fable hinges on small human foibles and petty resentments, and Aguirre-Sacasa and Perkins (of course abetted at every turn by the priceless Laura Martin, who moves us from dawn through the day to a night of fearful shadows through color alone) make sure every one of them has real resonance.

Im not sure if this book will be as big, but so far it's a good way of sifting through the ruins of Ultimatum. Hopefully, it too will build a more coherent new status quo before it ends.

Her job, apparently, is to protect them. She still seems a lot like Diana to me, so maybe all of this is about having her be the woman who killed Maxwell Lord rather than the woman who was a peaceful diplomat. I'm not sure yet, and a lot depends on why Aphrodite abandoned the Amazons, and who is trying to erase them--but, no, it's not a bad start. There's plenty of potential in this new setup.

It's a fun, action-packed issue, a decent installment in the ongoing arc about future doomsday scenarios. Tension and drama is even upped in a traditional way when Tony tries to reason with old Pocky Lips and finds himself faced with a traumatized, stammering, paranoid android indeed. Time travel in this book, and demonic possession in the other? Am I reading Avengers again?

Batman has the firepower he needs to stage a rescue mission, but they're still flying blind as they don't know what's going on. They gain an ally who figures out mysteries by the end, though, and as long as the story keeps looking this good I'll follow it to the end. Even though I know Robinson is capable of more nuanced work than this series of fight scenes. By the way, if you find the cover hard to track, it's part of a continuous wrap-around for each of part of the crossover, the final piece of which reveals their ultimate foe.

Batman #701 is a great issue, a satisfying coda to Morrison's reign on Batman. It turns out "killing" him was the best way to invigorate Batman yet. In seeing how much he could suffer--bending without ever being broken--we found the real man again. We now get a chance to spend some final days with a man we wish could survive his personal apocalypse.

I remain mystified at the logic-defying antics of Thomas Wayne (aka Dr. Hurt?), and I dont really think the Bat legacy can survive such a paradigm change to the mythos. However, Morrison is all about tweaking that mythos to test what still works and what doesnt, and when it comes to the major properties like these stalwart characters, its always good to run them through their paces to see if theyre still fighting fit. Morrison is really performing a service on Batman, giving us new ways to appreciate him in his ostensible absence.

I'm not sure if I can say that this is the issue we've been waiting for, where Ellis does more with the mutants in his charge than throw insults at them. A lot may depend on the surprise semi-reveal at the end, which either picks up on some threads left by Whedon or throws a wild curve ball into the works. This issue, though, shows he at least knows who the X-men want to be.

In fact, the horizontal compositions echo classic funny papers formats, but the tale doesn't seem dated--just cheerfully nostalgic. The whole is an essay in storytelling, but it has to be completely formulaic in order to get the job done so quickly.

The Stooges Avengers! The Bert & Ernie Avengers? The Lenny Bruce Avengers!

Its still a superhero book, and current foe Thayer Jost is trying to use that against the team since DC humans have been so traumatized by Blackest Night that all metahumans look evil. I dont think Giffen is moving towards healing any of these fractured psyches. So instead were reading an in-the-trenches scenario of soldiers who evince a precariously balanced madness in the face of an unbalanced, mad world. Thats not a bad take on the concept, and its brave of him to attempt to integrate the unusually complicated Morrison characters. Im all about a New Brotherhood, so Im sticking around to see how this confrontation plays out.

I'm not sure where this arc is going after reading this issue, but it's slipping its grip on Matt's usual reality, and doing it with criminal mysticism rather than the usual amount of religious angst. Hopefully, he'll get his head on straight before it's too late.

When Elbert reaches Cibola (as he calls Vegas), he baptizes himself in the fountain in front of the MGM Grand Hotel. Then we meet some of the other soldiers in Flaggs army, Ken, Lloyd and Hector. But their stories await. This tale of the Trashcan Mans sad but inevitable fate is a complete tale on its own, a facet into the grand tapestry of good vs. evil that The Stand is creating, issue by issue.

While colorist Rainer Beredo keeps things shadowy, there's a sense of vitality and direction that instantly galvanizes the team in a way that serial-killing antics never could. Some new faces, but some old--because, as Hank says, "once an Avenger and all that."

There's a lot of cleverness here, not least of which being the patented "shock" ending that defines this team of misfits. While the story direction is nascent, all the pieces are there for a great game to come.

But that's it, and I'm left to wonder, is the entire four-issue series going to be full of minor details about also-rans? I was expecting more than just background detailing from this project.

Of course Anderson's art and Alex Ross's covers are as perfectly in synch with Busiek's words as always. This series remains the best justification for Wildstorm's continued existence. It may be infrequent, but the quality remains high. This is a surprisingly happy ending for a series that focused so often on murder and death and criminal betrayals and conspiracy theories. As a capstone for a dark and unsettled interlude it makes perfect sense in Astro City.

Is that clear as mud? Im totally lost, only grateful that Eaglesham makes it all look so pretty. Seriously, the art is the least of this books problems. In striving for sci-fi immersion, Hickman has achieved incomprehensibility. I wont even ask where Ben is.

Then we swerve to JSA headquarters, where its all subplot exposition, what the, huh? time, but then we finally found out something that, while it is good news, is also sort of a non-starter, as the character has been a yo-yo of mediocre writing for most of his or her history. But maybe Robinson has plans, as he does for rest of his ersatz, imitation big leaguers team. Im all for the imitations if it means were going to get character development from them. Robinson is trying hard to give each character distinction, and Bagley is working overtime to sell drama with wideshots and splash pages galore, but the story hasnt quite caught fire yet.

What she's going to need is a foe, but I'm guessing it won't be a generic hive mind or Loki himself quite yet, either.

Or game changer, as climactic denouements usually are for Larsen. I feel for the kids this issue: I want the shiny happy Dragon back, too.

I won't reveal Machine Man's partner, but he has another new teammate by issue's end, and we're well on our way to another wild ride.

They don't need company wide distractions. They've been staging their own internalize multi-world crossovers for decades now, with a cast that can apparently multiply to infinity (or at least 52 different worlds, probably). Here's hoping the four core members revealed this issue provide a basis for a truly classic lineup to come.

The issue is rounded out with a reprint from the John Byrne era, where he got away with completely objectifying Jen because he let her talk directly to the audience while he did it, and because he drew her so well in clothes or out. Byrne has to be given credit for contributing greatly to the character's longevity, as his take on Jennifer as a big, happy green girl who had a lot of fun (in direct opposition to the morose and haunted affliction experienced by her cousin Bruce) has remained influential. He also had a knack for depicting the equivalent of a hot female weightlifter, a challenge that even some of Marvel's other best artists have periodically missed the mark on. The story is a silly one involving space truckers, but it's a little gem nonetheless.

The battles (with the Manhawks, with Satanna, and ultimately between BFFs Terra and Power Girl) are, as always, depicted well by Conner. She really understands how Terra's earth manipulation works with very dynamic visuals, but the story is otherwise pretty thin. There's got to be more than Satanna just making life hard for Kara, and by issue's end, there is. Terra's change in attitude is a subtle depiction, and it's quite in line with what we know of the title's main villain. Ending up where we began with the Ultra-Humanite could work just fine for the next two issues. But, after many months of rambunctious space babes, alien lotharios, and a would-be demi-goddess, I think I'm ready for a regular old criminal case or two.

But back she is, and I tend to side with Scott that this is the Magneto version of the biggest apology and box of chocolates he could offer to what remains of his race at their Utopian retreat. I'm glad Scott sees it that way, too.

As does a funny line from Agent Brand (funnier than her trying too hard sign-off, anyway) reminding Jessica not to be a spazz: "If I wanted someone bouncing off the walls I'd have hired Spider-MAN." Bendis ends the issue with Jess at last coming in from the cold and that works for the series as well.

On the way out of the cemetery, Jean-Claude appears, called by her power. He's too strong to do her bidding like the other undead, but their dance has begun, and it's one that will ultimately make them the power couple of St. Louis, at least amongst the ghouls, goblins and demi-gods. For this reader of the original novels, Marvel has clearly found a team capable of interpreting them for the comics world.

My favorite arc of Morrison's Batman run was the Black Glove story, so I'm all about further detective work with colorful allies, and I have a feeling Damian may surprise us yet.

Final verdict: passable entertainment and quite attractive visually, if you're starving for a Legion fix. But their looming involvement in a New Kryptonian war could be dicey. Robinson may tie in the story to his currently much-improved JLA, and in fact an overall increase in excitement and full-length stories would improve this book.

Remembering the damage one angry Viltrumite caused Earth in the past, I hesitate to imagine the carnage of the impending Viltrumite War. But I'm hooked now, so I won't have to imagine for long. Kirkman shows his usual mastery of subplots, but this minor skirmish is just a windup for the next big pitch.

Fraction isn't just making sure Morrison's good ideas stick around, however; by issue's end, he also seems to be finding a place for some of Whedon's. Makes sense, as Whedon also built on the Morrison innovations. So far, Fraction's innovations haven't been as conceptually unheralded as the science fiction insanities of those two prior creators. His X-Men have been more familiar, despite their changed political status. But he's definitely getting a lot of pieces in place for a potentially classic run.

The cliffhanger for the issue recalls Chuck Austen's infamous demonic sojourn with Nightcrawler's origin, but the tone of the X-Men at the time had no room for the fluid symbolism and playful puns that characterize Immonen's more whimsical approach. This is an odd series (given a much more straightforward cover by Stuart Immonen to reel us in), but it seems like a fruitful way to approach the newest, most unexpected breakout X-Men star.

It's a little problem that these events take place after the as yet unfinished Cry for Justice, but a big relief that Blackest Night gets one page of reference and is otherwise just blamed for everyone's bad mood. It definitely gave me one. But the decks are clearing, and this looks like the beginning of a bright future for a title that's had more than its share of hard knocks.

I'm enjoying the Huntress in her team-ups with Renee, and while the action is brutal in their fight with the killer, the emotions run just as high once things calm down and dirty deals are done. Rucka's writing remains strong, but I think I like him better when the old Bat isn't around.

The Rift idea isn't a very new one (basically a haunted doorway to hell), but in Guardians the writers keep the focus squarely on the interesting cast of characters they've assembled. This issue is a satisfying conclusion to several recent plots, and promises more significant battles to come for fans of the Realm of Kings.

I'll be deciding issue-by-issue until Paul Levitz takes over.

Ray Tate: Not pesky at all. It's been a pleasure, Shawn. We'll have to do this again.

That's definitely the implication at the end of the issue, as the thug without the knee injury arrives to make a rape threat to the bound Anita. He's way too stupid to realize he's just making her mad.

Clark is already up to the challenge. He channels all the flashbacks with accuracy, somehow making sense of the Doom Patrol at their wackiest in several different eras. I especially like his look for Larry. Bandages, sure, but also jodhpurs and a bulky green sweater, suspenders and combat boots. It's an adventurer's garb, and Larry is still addicted to adventure.

Is it heavy handed and simplistic that the fight between good and evil merely involves choosing sides? Sure, but it's also a sound strategy. This story is about an impossibly extreme situation that forms a crucible for every character. Whether the goals involve finding love or safety or growing up or gaining power or wisdom, the paths taken have universal applicability. In this story especially, the personal and the political are inseparable.

Only, as she'll never actually understand the real Jessica, it's not as entrancing as she hoped. Jessica is in an even more dire situation by issue's end than she was at the beginning. She's also in too shell-shocked a state (following her Skrull captivity) to be open to seduction from any quarter. But she does somehow, just barely, seem to be on a path of staying true to herself. This book is alternately horrifying, creepy and (at weird moments) funny. Maleev's realistic style with lurid colors makes it easy to identify with a character who hardly knows herself. You have to decide if that weird mix works for you.

With Red Tornado already disposed of and Plastic Man a near-useless puddle, the women have few allies and yet lack the strength to fend for themselves. Except for Dr. Light herself, who manifests the power all the zombies keep telling her she lacks--finally. Zatanna returns from her off-screen battle, apparently victorious, and then everyone faints. It's a grim, predictable story, merciful only in its relative brevity. I hope it purchased Robinson the time he needs to really get things running in a new direction next issue.

The answer isn't all that satisfying (as it rings of simple platitudes), but that doesn't mar this tale of an introspective moment in a fallen hero's career--and Jesus Saiz does all he can to sell the grandeur and the other-worldliness of these two metaphysical masters. It may not be deep or radical, but it's a solid story that captures a bygone era--one with possibly bygone values.

In other words, things are as messed up as usual, Gary just doesn't know it yet. Great cover and interior art by Howard, whose storytelling is better than ever.

Seems she's joining the team (at least for the short-term), which pisses off Scandal and turns Ragdoll on. After months of battling slavers and demons, Simone lightens things up considerably with a lovely tale of mentoring and promise. Sure, mostly of more carnage, but that's a promise!

The issue ends with a further info-dump from Corbeau, one that offers a retcon that may not even be necessary regarding those old days. It also may not make much difference, but I don't mind trying to tie-in so directly with events of the past if it's well-done. This issue reminds me of those old Classic X-Men backups, and that's a good thing.

The worst part of the entire book is the premise that the bad Dr. Light be revived again, as having been reduced to a pile of sludge by the Spectre was an ideal fate for that creep. I'm tired of seeing him fight his distaff namesake, who has always been more worthy of the costume than he. I hope Robinson, who makes the dialogue stick this issue, keeps his renovation of the good Dr. Light going strong next issue, as I'd love her to say lights out to the villain for the final time.

Since this is the city of Shamballah in the land of Skartaris (where time doesn't pass as it does for the surface world: watches don't work and no one seems to age), Grell gets to indulge himself in drawing beautifully tattooed and bejeweled bodies in actions of both love and war. This issue is a kind of Kama Sutra of wistful memory and lustful entreaty, so free flowing that you almost glide by the resurrection of an old and horrific foe by the villainous Kate Archer. Or would if Grell hadn't cleverly made it the last page. This wily character is reborn to a hero's physique and you just know he's going to clad it in something devilish very, very soon. Grell has achieved that status shared by artists like Byrne, Perez, and the late Gene Colan--you try not to interrupt the master's flow, because you know it's going somewhere good.

By my guess, she's got three more issues in this arc to make her point. With Lim providing the art, it's going to be creepy and witty and fun, usually at all the right times.

If you ever wanted to see Natasha team up with Storm, stick around.

Invincible did have a firm grip on Dinosaurus' neck at one point, though, and that was after the creature was revealed as a sort of were-monster who can't control when the demon takes over. Was Mark really going to settle for a final solution before being interrupted? Given that this is a Kirkman comic, I'd have to say yes. And that's pretty scary. All in all, a solid comic with a satisfying spectrum of plot threads unfolding at a brisk pace.

Koblish and Decastro do a non-shabby Byrne/Austin impression, all clean lines and expressive shadows, but with enough style of their own to keep the visuals fresh and to make those dayglo costumes pop. The Hykonians, by the way, take on Nick Fury and his Heli-Carrier just for an added thrill. They're way too powerful to persist in this way, and I'm sure next issue Lilandra will just happen to know their one weakness, but the old formulas are sometimes the best, and this series of new adventures from the old bi-monthly era is having a lot of fun with beloved memories what once made the X-Men matter.

In fact, one thing she's deciding on doing is committing to a life's work of service at this crucial juncture and boyfriend Matt seems way out of his element as she lets him closer than she ever has before. But she has her reasons and they're revealed this issue in a stunning sequence that uses cosmological energy as a backdrop to the sort of conversation that any two young people might have when an issue of trust comes up. Busiek writes a story of young hopes and dreams clashing with the crass and exploitative interests of popular media culture and, if he fashions no real surprises in the story beats, he does fashion a compellingly heroic character in Astra. She's strong and wise beyond her years, and while that doesn't save her from human emotional pain, it does make her story a bright and hopeful display in the often shadowy firmament of Astro City.

Betrayal, scars, secrets, and never-healed wounds of loss have enriched and complicated Kate's backstory. Her prickly personality is becoming easier to understand--as is her driven need to wear the costume.

Over the course of the inevitable collected edition that will come from this series of issues, it will probably make more sense. But in a monthly comic, it's clear the creators still haven't really mastered the transfer of this story to a serial format. The story breaks and the ever-changing titles seem quite arbitrary.

There's nothing inherently bad about this issue--including the characterization--but it's far from a classic. Because of the art, and Conner's clever way with tasteful T&A, I can give this issue an average rating, but surely there's something better to do with Power Girl now that her continuity has been resolved?

And as for Dr. Light, she quite reasonably questions Mari's point of view, she mentions her children and her work, she nurses her injured shoulder without whining about it, and she tries to make a constructive contribution to the discussion. She offers professional help to Plaz (who is sort of melting), and jumps into the fray when Despero attacks. Robinson achieves in one issue what no one else has managed in years. And I know he's done great work in the past with teams, though mostly informed by the perspective of nostalgia for DC's oldest characters. He's got to be new and flashy for the JLA, and interestingly he's interviewed about enjoying Joe Kelly's run from years back (which was somewhat controversial and strange). He must have some ideas for real stories, so here's hoping they get started soon.

Another solid installment. The only sad note is that you can feel Kirkman winding up for his endgame.

After all the setbacks and losses, all the misery that the Four fomented in their greed, the good guys are finally whole and fully functional again--and they're not planning to be nice about it.

As is usual in a Whedon series, surprise alliances and last-minute reveals up the stakes of the battle in ways that thrill and evince a long term plan. Clever stuff. I almost hate the idea of Twilight finally revealing his whiny self because there's no way that issue can be as good as this one was.

The art has been serviceable over the past few issues, though the covers are unrelentingly grim (they look like advertisements for dull video games). This is the title defined by the likes Bagley, Grummett and Deodato, so I'd love an art upgrade. But Diggle clearly knows what he's doing, and having a handle on this title's high concept is paramount.

Reed has yet to run out of ideas for identity switches in this new series of setbacks for the title character (whoever that may turn out to be). Briones replaces Sana Takeda (who only does the cover), and his style of exaggerated anatomy this month recalls Brett Blevins (in a good way), but with a grungier paint job. His work fits the tone of Reed's potentially confusing story, giving each raving blonde her own distinct identity. Karla's glee at tossing people out of windows might be the most terrifying sight in the whole story.

It's a good tale, solidly told by creators talented in this medium. Let's hope we don't lose them to the telly too soon!

One piece of evidence is found, a gris-gris that looks much more benign than what it is identified as being and when it starts moving towards its owner all by itself, that's a very creepy moment indeed. Over the course of the inevitable collected edition that will come from this series of issues, I'm sure all of this exposition will be crucial. But in a monthly comic, it's clear the creators still haven't really mastered the transfer of these tales to a visual medium.

And the worst thing is, Image supposedly knows how to tell those. This is a case where more editorial oversight was called for. The big picture was completely lost. Perhaps this dank, ugly world will appeal to some (if they can get past one of the least interesting covers I can ever remember having seen it basically amounts to "some skulls, I think"). Inappropriately indistinct painted comic art fatally entombs a dull story.

Regardless, with art like this from Manapul and Henry, and the prospect of only better stories on the way, I'm sticking around for the duration.

Hughie's not the only one getting tired of it all, however. Maybe it's a good time for an origin tale, as next issue begins a confessional from Mother's Milk. And the Butcher has a few secrets left, too. The only real question that remains, otherwise, is whether Hughie and Annie will survive despite what's happening to them on their respective teams. Especially after they realize which teams those are.

This book has far outpaced the run of Ms. Marvel's previous title and is still going strong moving into its 4th year under the same writer. Can we say that Carol has achieved her goal of becoming an A-lister at last? Perhaps not yet, but she's certainly a thorn in Osborn's side and is sure to be a major player in the downfall of his Dark Reign.

We still don't have all the answers four issues in, but we know the two foes, Dominga the voodoo priestess and Gaynor the client who won't take no for answer, have done themselves no favors by attacking Anita and endangering her friends. One feels payback is on the way next issue.

Almost as interesting as the issue itself is the letters page, where Kirkmans readers take him to task for the seeming murder of Atom Eve. Its like the death of Phoenix all over again, 25 years later. The outrage is in one way the ultimate compliment to how involved readers are in Kirkmans story. He handles the abuse in his flinty but entertaining manner, but I dont have any worry about his readers. Kirkman knows exactly what hes doing and where hes going with this title. They just need to become as invulnerable as Mark!

Its all a very complicated way of saying that Lar is by nature an explorer, an open-minded one at that, but the tale has mythological resonance. Pinas art is ideally suited to the story, creating beautiful Daxamites, recognizable extraterrestrial races from DCs lore in nascent developmental stages, and a suitably noble and heroic Lar at different stages of his life. Its just kind of funny that Mon-El turns out to be a little more human than Kal-El himself can ever be.

The issue ends with a series of slices of future portents (which I think is how one crisis or another ended a few years back), and a lot of it looks quite promising. However, my major interest in the backup tale is that it affirms that Johns will be writing the Levitz-era Legion (more or less)--having consigned Legion Lost and Legion-Prime to other realms--and that's the best news of all.

The ride is still fairly bumpy, however, mostly I suppose down to dialogue more than plot. The tone is shaky, but the intent seems to be good and the product is at the very least an intriguing effort.

Where all these refugees turn up is on Oz's doorstep, and Espenson and Jeanty channel the full-on Seth Green irony within an inch of their lives. Oz is, as usual, fairly copacetic with the arrival of a nuclear sub in his mountain retreat, but as he points out, "You just made my home into a very big target." Buffy's doing her unavoidable thing of endangering her family and friends again, because her lifestyle choice leads her to oppose some pretty nasty characters. Luckily, being a family of werewolves might give Oz's folks a bit of an edge over, say, Joyce and Dawn.

Anyway, with the Doom Patrol, I'm in. We've got the core team, we've got a lot of bad attitudes, now all we need is the right art and some good stories. Weirdly good.

Which is to say, this series has been a lot of fun, and despite the dramatic costs, plenty of ways to undo things and move in new directions remain for the inevitable sequels.

This issue is nothing but one shocking plot development after the next and the result has long since ceased to be any sort of surprise. Event fatigue was defined by this series.

The Legion Lost crew (who were formerly the Reboot Legion) choose to remain lost, while the "eat it grandpa!" team turn out to have Superboy Prime's legacy to cope with directly. Meanwhile, it seems the Levitz/Giffen League (from just before to the five-year Gap) are back to being our main team--with a revived Superboy (Conner Kent) set to share some new adventures with them.

It's almost a shame when the Sentry shows up to save LA from the fallout, but that's just one more complication in this unpredictable tale Reed is unfolding.

Back in the new Avengers Infinite Mansion, science whiz Pym has dreamed up a sort of Tardis-like homebase that could be full of surprises, though they don't all come off clearly in this issue. It's a neat idea that will hinge on how the team uses it, but with the humor of the last few issues nearly gone, and the subplots from those issues also on hold (will the team ever learn their Wanda is really Loki?), the exciting pace of Slott's characterization slows somewhat. While I'm not against the Inhumans playing a role in this title, I'd prefer it be more than a hatchet job on their reputations.

Anita's doing all this to find a zombie killer of children. There must be some way to balance the romance with the action in this comic adaptation, even if Hamilton doesn't really do it in all of her novels. This issue shows how hard that balance is to find.

Or maybe I just love how difficult it is for Ragdoll to make any sense at all of his surroundings, as his own moral judgments are as alien as they are consistent to a logic all his own. His position as ironic Greek chorus is always amusing.

Emma's new "team" is an intriguing array of misfits, and Scott's resistance is surely something she's been counting on as well. She's far too compliant to Osborn's demands to believe. I can't believe it's just a case of her becoming an automaton, as has happened to other characters in previous events. Unlike the Civil War, however, Fraction makes it clear that the mutants can't sit this one out.

Finally, The Question feature is another examination of the drug-related problem of sex slavery--a popular theme in superheroine comics these days. I don't know if the divergent threads will link together, or if Renee and Kate are meant to become an item again. However, this issue is very good start in making Batwoman a character rather than a stereotype.

Let's see. Plot-wise in this issue, Atom Eve wakes up and rush's to Mark's aid. Invinciboy also tries to help, and is nearly killed. The hero coordinator does his best to remove the bodies from the field, while Eve and Mark are overwhelmed by the gloating and talkative Conquest. That's plenty, but it's also one long similar note, and Otterly sustains it with more than a few three panel pages. Some stories are denser than this. But few are as visceral.

Slott's new direction is more than I could have hoped for after the plot-driven first year of Mighty; now the story telling is sub-plot driven, and he's got plenty of them!

Larsen is on a roll again with this title. As always, its full of surprises, action, tight costumes and massive creeps. The inking is especially solid and detailed these days. Can he do it? 200 issues, all with the same artist/writer? Of course he can. Next month, hes 75% there!

I'm not completely sure why the back-up stories in Miss America's issue are Whizzer solo tales, but it may simply be that more of his stories were made and remain available for reprint. This is hardly a surprising statement on the place of female characters perennially in comic books. Here we get a hint of what a Marvel counterpoint to Wonder Woman might have looked like, had she kept the spotlight longer.

And maybe most telling of all, when the team is literally dropped into a nest of gun-toting guerillas, their effectively simultaneous leap into action (if hemmed and hawed by a lot of nervous verbiage) is the truest sign of all: for all their sins, this group has formed a formidable collaboration. And their clients better watch their backs.

Plus, I mean, c'mon, if anyone deserves a wakeup call after the Invasion, my money's on Reed way more than poor Hank. Give 'em hell, Assemblers!

In fact, things are set up for better payoffs in the future, if only Conway can lose the lame-o Bloodrage and take the power failure arc somewhere interesting. IE, I dont see Buddy developing mystical powers now that his animal ones are wonky (as Storm did in the Belasco alternate future in X-men) or starting to steal human powers like Rogue or as Vixen recently did. And thats just fine; Ill keep buying just for the Brian Bolland covers.

Oh, and there's also an energy being that appears mysteriously in Saudi Arabia, and who by the end of the issue comes into direct conflict with Karla over that precious human cargo. This subplot seems to be rather standard issue, but I have confidence Reed will take it in surprisingly nuanced directions. After all, he's just completely changed main characters and managed to keep the book squarely focused on Carol Danvers' ongoing issues regardless. As it was in Civil War and Secret Invasion, this book promises to be one of the more entertaining fronts of Dark Reign.

Thom Young: Well, of course. While the Romantics didnt invent escapist fantasy, they certainly adopted it and cultured it. We wouldnt have superheroes, western heroes, Sherlock Holmes, or hardboiled detectives if it wasnt for Romanticism. I love all those things, too, but I just get a feeling that Busiek is no longer building on the foundation he set down in the mid 1990s--but, as I mentioned, it could be that I just need to read the entire Astro City canon in one run rather than in the scattershot method that I have lately.

No, it's one of leadership and direction. I fear this strong issue comes too little and too late in McDuffie's run, but I'm hoping at least its sequel (also with Morales on art, supposedly) will be as good. I'm counting my blessings at this point with this star-crossed title.

That unfortunate misstep aside, the issue is strong and Slott's script is full of interesting dialogue, and a truly fresh take on the Cabal (which splinters amusingly due to Osborn's failings this issue) and the current state of play in the Marvel Universe. It's definitely fun to read a Hank Pym who's both large and in charge.

If Barbara Gordon is anything, though, its clear-headed--and this issue gears Barbara up for an epic confrontation with the old Batman foe. Who knows what the results will be?

Getting nosy with one of the Madrox dupes can't be a good idea. But it's fine for this title, which seems to have received its stimulus package and is back in the swing of things again. Jamie can't feel guilty over abandoning Layla if he's fighting alongside her again, and that's great, because a guilty Jamie means a glum time for everyone.

There's a bonus of an inspired sequence with Ragdoll, who has his own counterpoint to play to the pretty people's story. In this strip, Amanda Gould's charming cartoons just make Simone's smart words all the more biting. This series is a nasty piece of work, and it better keep it up!

Howard's art maintains a grim clarity, cartoonish and expressive without being humorous, and the colorists stay in the realm of blues and browns for Gary's incarceration, appropriately so. Another solid installment, full of such incident it seems to fly right by.

Aside from one egregious error on page one (where for some reason we see Diana when it's Dinah who's speaking), Davis does a fine job on this talking heads issue. He blows up everyone's faces to poster size, in fact, the better to let us see the beautiful people argue. And the best dialogue comes from Mari calling John Stewart an Uncle Tom (no kidding). It's a grim but competent issue, capturing Dinah's bitter mood. It's just that she (and the title) deserve better treatment than a cold-hearted dismissal.

The cover is an old school classic Sentinel panic moment (something every X-book needs periodically) by David Yardin, and De Landro does fine with the Madrox/Miller scenes, too. It's not easy to keep the visual interest up in a team book where everyone's attire is mostly jeans and t-shirts, but this issue is a good looking one that seems set to deliver some action to distract our heroes from their recent tragedies.

This book hasn't skipped a beat in almost thirty issues. Ennis' terminal mad-on seems unlikely to abate anytime soon.

You can feel Larsens renewed commitment to his flagship title, in his highly detailed art, and in his what just happened? plotting. Nows a good time to jump on Dragons ride, as we near an anniversary issue.

The backup story from Len Wein (another of the Origin & Omens featurettes) finds Kendra and Speedy at odds, supposedly a portent of a growing fracture. We also see that Dr. Light will soon join the team. We dont know why, though, as she seems zombified in this issue. This crossover has been too mysterious for its own good.

But, no, she's been out in the great wild world of spirits and totemic animals for the last three issues, and nary even a Sarah Palin joke in sight. She's too busy amusing herself to poke too much fun at others. She gets everyone to compromise, and seems from the letters page (which she answers personally) to be ready for her next starring role in a "romance," or perhaps in a model-icious comic. Which is sort of what this one was: a surreal mix of campy magic and near silly-animal heroics from start to finish. Somehow, Immonen kept it all frothy enough to stay afloat through all the whimsy, though a lot of the mystic hullabaloo was pretty hard to follow. Can Patsy settle down to a more conventional narrative and still be entertaining? Of course she can; even if she fails she won't stop trying. That's what heroes do.

Jumping from origin to origin to betrayal to setback makes this issue a bit uneven, as one senses Simone had a lot of agendas to fulfill at once, and she doesn't do it seamlessly. But, then, her title characters are full of scars and old resentments and crucibles of terror and patchworks of incomplete healing anyway. She's uncovered a fresh corner of the DC world by exploring the tattered lives of these secondary villains, and it's a consistently intriguing one with all the potential an ongoing series needs.

Superboy-Prime is the excuse to rifle through and endanger a history that the character doesn't understand, but we do. And it seems that so Johns does, too--though the storytelling is the writers popular method of alternating between expository scenes and violent murders that informed his Infinite Crisis.

These sorts of intense sequences are what draw readers to Hamilton's series (well, that and the explicit romance, which has been happily on hold for this arc for the most part). She alternates intense emotional confrontations with the impediments of police bureaucracy and the thrill of supernatural attacks. Though this arc is billed as a conclusion, it ends on a cliffhanger like every other issue, so one can only hope that the Ruffner/Lim team of adapters will continue when the story does. They are channeling the novels with near perfection at this point.

And in the background, even weirder, Zeus and the Manazons loom. Yep, love, action and subplots too! While not yet consistently compelling, the title is the best its been since the Greg Rucka days. Simones Diana grows more interesting with each issue.

This book is a solid read. It's lighter than both Walking Dead and Astounding Wolf-Man, and it's juggling a heavy load of characters well. Definitely worth the time of the old-school hero fan.

I'm not sure if this series is still attracting new readers. It may not pick up more with an issue like this, which lacks either sex or violence. But hang in there, because it's more like Anita Blake herself than ever, and those two activities are an unavoidable part of her lifestyle choices.

So out of the ten or so new or affected titles discussed here, Im still interested in four of them after reading these feature and creator interviews, but planning to give the rest a wide berth.

If this series is the reset button for the character, it's going to need more innovation to go with the solid visuals.

The quips along the way are more mean-spirited than funny, and he overdoes the self-referrential talk about the lesbian marriage of Donner and Blitzen, but, then, some girls are just that way. It's nice to see Shadow Cabinet and Milestone again, as they stand for an impulse towards diversity and inclusion that the comics industry has often lacked. They're as good candidates as any for what amounts to this year's JLA/JSA crossover, and the story shows this book back on track after having gotten lost in the shuffle of recent crossovers and grander plans than these. Luis even does a passable (but more importantly consistent) riff on the style established for this title by Benes. If the story seems to have nothing to do with current events in Final Crisis, well, that's another plus in some ways.

Which is a pretty strange tone for superhero comics to have, isn't? But it's certainly Loeb's own.

Also included are a detailed bio on Wasp, and three pages of probably not even all of her costume changes over the years. This is a respectful package for her fans, making the best of a badly dealt hand.

The end of the issue finds Gary in a holding pattern, but it's one with a plan and with some clear goals ahead. That's a nice spot to be in rounding out the first year of a title which has provided consistent entertainment, always offering a fast pace of action and emotional turmoil.

If Loeb thinks he's captured the special charm of the Ultimate universe (accessible, updated, and continuity-lite versions of Marvels icons for a younger generation) he's delusional.

It's around this time that Patsy learns that the talking Aztec calendar accompanying them in their overloaded SUV is the girl's father, but, hey there's plenty of dysfunction left for the next issue. Why not sign on to one of the weirdest rides (with the best covers currently coming out on any title, each a work of glory by Immonen's husband Stuart) currently coming from the House of Ideas?

The costume was designed for her, and Arthur Light stole it. That only makes sense if you forget who came first in Justice League lore, but I suppose we can now since Infinite Crisis. Things are so up in the air that we have to accept the new order when we're informed of it. With a story like this (where Dr. Light fights the unworthy Mammoth and Shimmer), that's somewhat easier to do. Because we've seen this Dr. Light be rude, and we've seen her nemesis attack her and steal her power. But now we get to see her take it back, and swear to do better from now on. And what better use of the Christmas spirit than to offer a rebirth from ignominy to glory?

And, yes, glimmers of hope, too. Because Darkseid always forgets one thing; in a pantheon, the darkest god always has a counterpart.

To his credit, Garbett does a good version of an iconic Robin, a pretty good Batwoman, and a passable Alfred (who probably didn't do it, btw). His best panel is near the end, with a look of suspicion on Bruce's face as he figures out something about his dire predicament. We've been reading, it would seem, a personal apocalypse.

As Zechariah explains it all to his doomed acquaintance in the hospital, Gary heals from a brutal training technique in the woods, a dismembered secret agent gets his partner to start putting his missing pieces back together, and Gary's daughter seeks Zechariah's help to defeather father, whom she thinks killed her mother. This title balances nimbly on an edge between wild fantasy and grim fatality, and thanks to Howard it always looks as great as it sounds.

Which doesn't mean we don't get our usual quotient of gore (from a bloodied but unbound Dragon) or cheesecake (from the habitually half-clad Witchblade and the ever lovely Phantom Lady). While we're not exactly seeing teamwork in action (everyone pursues their own agendas, and it's amusing to see the Image stars skulk away from the reporters' glaring lights after the battle), Larsen captures the free-for-all flare that still defines Image.

The plot complication here isn't really just a Macguffin, something like it happened all too recently in China, and it's a powerful point for superheroes to bring up. David has kept this title fresh since taking over, and proves it this issue by already forgetting the Skrulls were ever a problem.

These guys need a shot of fun, soon. They need for something to go right. The quirky oddities of time travel, anti-mutant foes, terrorist cells and malevolent future selves all provided entertaining distractions, but the villain post-Skrulls seems colorless, and the misery is just getting masochistic. Wanda, please, it's time: some more mutants!

I'm not too sure how all this will play out; probably with a kryptonite-analog to take down the crazed superman. But it is fun to see Image's major players overlap, treating each other like professionals and forming (at least for these few issues) a kind of Image League of superstars. Let's hope they take some lessons from the other Leagues, and start cooperating in the service of their common goal.

Along the way, Ruckas use of Grodd, Cheetah, Brother Eye, and especially Mr. Terrific and Snapper is both assured and inspired. He demonstrates how the entire DC universe is in peril.

The creators seem to have gotten the hang of translating a complicated series--and its contradictory main character--to our chosen medium. Hopefully they'll be as good at the action scenes when they come as they are at instilling a sense of creeping dread in this issue.

Yet its all succinctly and even cheerily portrayed by Howards clear graphic designs. He evokes a bit of an Oeming feeling, and Kirkman is evoking a bit of Bendis feeling as well with his nebbishy novice hero surrounded by more kick-ass threats. But the feeling here is that the Wolfman is the only one unaware of all he can become, and thats an interesting place to be. Lets hope he figures it out soon.

As suspected, this issue ends the fill-in arc by the team charged with managing the Secret Invasion crossover before the new creators show up. Its been a fun and occasionally very clever three issues of green-blooded carnage.

Is any of this deep? No, but it sure is pretty, and full of incident.

The dialogue is still clever, though, with a few very wry jokes and a real sense of family for the over-burdened and sometimes dysfunctional Royals. Im not sure what Im hoping for the conclusion of this series: surprises rather than stock plot devices? Yes, that would be nice. Hopefully the narrative freshness of the first two Skrull-heavy issues can be recaptured.

This little aside into La La Land has been well-considered and smart. While serving as an idol for young girls, Diana also acts as a shoulder to cry on for an alcoholic lawyer, and is more than capable of asking this pertinent question: Why is it that people feel a belief in women equals a hatred of men? Diana is clearly more complex than such claptrap as a Hollywood high concept insult to her legacy, and Simones seems to feel its better her movie stay in turnaround until they get it right.

Some details still don't quite make sense for me, but I'm sure they will if I decide to re-read the whole run someday. In the meantime this issue more than does its job of preparing us for a major showdown soon, one that doesn't leave Bruce completely on his own: Gordon, Talia, Damian and Robin all remain at large. I'm sure they too are smoking guns left on the mantelpiece for just the right moments to come.

The final image, where Norman poses next to a very important monument, is beyond heavy-handed, but the ambiguous message about government control of super-humans is a welcome one. The remnants of Civil War may have become muddled in the chaos of the Invasion, but not so much in this book, where chaos is something all the characters live with daily, even if mostly in their own minds. I dont know where this book will head in the future, but so far its keeping up the Ellis/Deodato tone quite well.

"Umm there's me, Lex I ah think maybe you should stop threatening my friends." Simply brilliant, and I can't think of a better multi-purpose homage. Like Reeve, Morrison and Quitely in this arc have truly embodied the best that Superman can be.

So were back already to a sorceress fighting our Princess, but Simone I think has hit on something by setting the subterfuge in Hollywood. By the end of the issue Diana has been attacked by several ersatz versions of herself, including the Cathy Lee Crosby version from TV, the powerless '60s Emma Peel-clone, and her '40s, '50s and '60s versions as well. If what the Queen implies is true, Simone seems to be setting up a meta-fictional analysis of Diana as an evolving archetype of fiction, and thats a pretty fun level to work on with a character with so much history. Well, its the level her Alan Moore counterpart, Promethea, lived on in every issue. Im intrigued.

The art (Mike Norton still doing a passable gloss on original series artist Cliff Chiang) leans one towards the former, but Winick cant often avoid the pathos of the latter. So maybe the way to go is to pick one tone for one story, and wait to change it once the story is over. That would be more exciting than the frequent perplexing frustration of this first fitful year of the title.

One more conversation, as Buffy and Melaka's sister find themselves kindred spirits (a real cop and a cop for demons), before Melaka gets the drop on Buffy. Which was probably a really bonehead move, but a great cliffhanger in Joss's completely entertaining merging of his two Slayer franchises. Amidst all the other danglers, the lack of closure and information might be more frustrating, but we know this series, at least, tends to come out on time.

There is one story that finishes in this issue: Jenn takes note of a Skrull transport herding humans to a concentration camp, and frees the prisoners with her usual directness. And the art team continues to turn in impressive work; the cel-shaded look is a fresh one for this title, and their She-Hulk captures the delicate balance between sexy and strong. But otherwise this title has a case of "serialitis"; all the crossovers have impeded ongoing development, and it's time to focus on the title character again. Soon, anyway.

It works as another corner of Grant's Crisis-style take on the DC Trinity: Wonder Woman transformed into a monster, Batman near death, and now Superman having to cope with a bracing world of corruption. It's a different style of storytelling from the mini-series itself: there we're seeing a series of drive-by effects, whereas Superman here has gone beyond the surface results to at least one cause. Along the way we get a retelling/retooling of the Monitor origin myth, and the vampire moment is just one of many blood-chilling thrills to be had. However, the mix and match elements are the kind of Morrisonian patchwork we get sometimes when he's spread himself too thin; it's a good call this one is only two issues.

On that tip, the other thing to fix is Maris powers, and thats where the cover comes in at last. Theres a sinister presence manipulating the animal-based power set, and on the cover he looks a lot like Marvels Shadow King. Apparently hes more spidery than that, as well find out next issue. Fall-out from 52 and a large cast beating the odds, thats what we want from JLA. Get a regular penciller and keep a stable crew for a while, will ya? Now that its going good, dont screw it up!

This one-shot idea for ongoing Marvel titles has been a bit scattershot, but this is another good one.

This new tone will likely please some readers who felt Diana hoodwinking her boss wasnt quite kosher, but I thought it worked fine with the winking sub-'70s TV series tone with which this volume once began, to so much greater sales so long ago. Heinberg had something in mind, but he never delivered, and Amazons Attack actually hurt this book (just as it did everything else it touched). Simone started things off right with a balance between Dianas mother/teacher/healer modes and her warrior side (in her story about some rabid Hippolyte loyalists and some Nazis clashing on Paradise Island), but this Viking adventure has been a non-starter. Can somebody go drag Jiminez back from Marvel?

Daniel's better with more straightforward Gotham crime, but this story veered off the straight path long ago. Of course where there's madness, there's Arkham, where the Joker awaits, but that'll be next issue. I'm sure it'll be okay. After all, Bruce still has his Bat-Radia.

And it's here in this story in a crucial scene where Jean plays hooky from Xavier's first Academy and ends up embroiled in another car accident in Westchester Center, where she uses her considerable telekinetic gifts to save the day. Mayhew probably uses a fair amount of photo reference for some of these unique faces and figures, but he integrates everything quite seamlessly into his whole vision for the story. Jean looks like Jean throughout, and in this nuanced and detailed exploration of her psyche in her early adolescence, McKeever too has painted a fascinating portrait of one of Marvel's major mutant stars in her formative years.

This is not the sort of story that can ever be told in public. This is the sort of thing you say about your worst enemy, if you want your best friend to share your hate. This is the saddest, cruelest and creepiest Boys issue yet. And of course its very, very good.

Along the way she finds her missing luggage, and there's time for a fashion show (other heroes have fisticuffs every issue, Patsy has wardrobe malfunctions), and she ends up using a Land Rover as her means of return to those pesky anthropomorphic bears and deer. I can't see too many people having the patience all this whimsy requires, but if a sort of Buffy on overdrive tone works for you, there's plenty of fun to be had in this decidedly offbeat corner of the Marvel universe.

The second tale begins with the Mad Thinker uncovering a hidden lab in service of his vendetta against the Fantastic Four, but the android he revives quickly shunts him aside and proceeds on a mission to catalog the powers of a group of New Mutants ice-skating in Central Park. Reflecting on the diverse fates of many of these youngsters (and on Xaviers admission in the first story that he assembled them initially under the influence of a Brood parasite, looking for new hosts), its hard to believe there was once a fun moment when Skids, Boom Boom, Sunspot, Cannonball, Rictor et al. played even semi-congenially together. As the robot absorbs their abilities, his attitude and looks have a distinctly Apokoliptian flair, but its nothing the teens register, as they feel theyve driven him off. The comedy mixed in with the action marks this even more than the first story as a remnant of a bygone era. Seeing Cockrum colored by modern techniques of light and shade is the principal reward of t

This entertaining issue challenges my usual practice of dropping a title I liked when a creative team change occurs, fearful of it all going wrong; Gage and Blanco are keepers.

What would be complicated is crystal clear thanks to Shooter's ability to focus on each member as a player in a larger organization, and things finally look slightly up for the beleaguered team, at least until the latest threat to the solar system arises. Even then, who does Earthgov call for help? That's right, the possessors of those wondrous flight rings.

A third random element enters the mix (as one imagines it will in New York city real estate matters): Kravens lair impinges on Vermins private space, and he attacks both she and Daredevil before issues end, for no other reason than basic animal fear and rage. Meanwhile, Vin uses the MGH to begin to fight for his survival, and somehow its going to lead up to next issues long-previewed cover, where what seems to be the capture of Daredevil and Spider-Man by Kraven probably wont be that simple. I dont know what else is going on in Peters brand new day, but he seems to possess his usual relationship with Lady Luck.

Humor remains paramount for David, but he mixes it with drama so most of the laughs are more like uneasy chuckles. When Monet stops tearing up the real estate, she locates Darwin and scans his friend (but these Skrulls are immune to mutant telepathy, remember?). The way the Skrull Talisman (he's sort of their version of Silver Surfer, pre-world-conquering horde arrival) is ultimately revealed is as a hilarious manifestation of Darwin's power. So while X-Factor has an off-month (they're in a state of flux at the moment), She-Hulk is better than ever. Let's hope the crossover ultimately benefits both books, as it heads back to X-Factor next month.

In the back-up story with Guy Gardner still sharing with his probable captors how much he knows, Pasarin does a very good job of capturing the insouciant and giddy flair of the Joker, who was the highlight of the original Tangent concept to this reviewer. He's definitely in over his head in the Nightwing facility, but this is a mystery that hasn't grown tiresome yet. While some of the underlying concepts of the Tangent universe dont make a lot of sense, the overall mandate to create a very different world out of familiar names is an intriguing one that keeps Dan Jurgens on his toes as he explores his many variations on the theme. The plot is advancing in a very formulaic way, but that's okay if the formula is a good one, and the sense that various threads might converge is slowly becoming evident.

Theres no character development to speak of this issue, so anybody just tuning in wont know why Green Arrow cares, what his relationship is to Dinah, whether Mia has a crush on Dodger, who Connor might be or why it matters that our criminals have been misled. But, hey, Plaz cracks some funny ones, so at least theres a chuckle or two. Its pretty thin stuff, stretched out way too long, redeemed mostly by the repartee and by Nortons solid battle choreography. I understand it all quite well, but without knowing why, Ive stopped caring whats next.

The issue begins with Kate and the Beetle both having trouble with their super-suits, which seem to think theyre natural born enemies. Thats the sort of quasi-humorous, mundane oddity (what kind of heroes arent fully in charge of their own arsenals?) that keeps this series grounded. This is another solid new tale of an intriguing revival for the long-suffering but smart title character.

Buffy is a bit overwhelmed by her sudden visit to 200 years from now, but at least she's wearing a hot dress. I get the feeling, as both Slayers are fighting with the same scythe, they'll work things out sooner rather than later. Merging Joss's TV phenomenon with his first comic book hit is an inevitable idea; I'm sure next month will be more about surprises than nostalgia.

Patsy's long-forgotten psychic powers may be called for to combat whatever controls those weird bears (Moondragon once thought her an adept worth training), and I think it's been sometime since the powers of the Cat exo-skeleton transferred to Patsy's body itself. She's super-strong, I think she still has the tensile projecting claws, and she can sense sorcery. I wasn't sure when I began this issue, but I may just stick around to find out how she copes.

This fight is horrifying, both in its desperate, elaborate verbiage and in the eerie glow of green that illuminates the afflicted Lantern and flashes off Batman's black leather. J.G. Jones has always had a singular ability to merge realism with expressive special effects, and here with colorist Alex Sinclair he achieves storytelling that is cinematic not in the sense of trying to look like a movie, but in the sense of being dramatic, crystal clear, well-edited and visually surprising. His sequence of images creates a seamless montage. When a certain character returns chasing a bullet through time, you realize that this short mini-series may just be the epic we were promised, for once.

These were the exact questions I had about the Skrull components of two of my favorite teams when this invasion began, and hats off to Yost for answering them. The issue is beautiful, action-packed, and full of consistently accurate character moments. Let's hope the whole series is like this.

Yes, its a (literal) cliffhanger, meaning weve got a new arc or mini-arc, holding us over into the regime change. While I hope we see Ordway back soon (he and JMS will likely have some of the synergy so evident on Marvels excellent The Twelve between Straczynski and Weston), Kolins and Waid keep the title up to its established level of quality craftsmanship.

More importantly, while Reddy's dilemma drives the plot, McDuffie and Benes make a multitude of small character moments--in dialogue, narration and body language--that remind us page by page we're amongst a team of DC's very best. That's how the League should feel, whether battling a world-level threat or striding through the Halls of Justice. The tinder is lit, the sparks are flaring what remains is to fan the flames into a full-on roaring fire. And maybe throw in a fresh villain or two, please?

Griffin has found a way to siphon off the various Destine powers for his own use. Its not too often when you can blame a whole story on a bad genie, and mean it as a complement. But for Davis fans, seeing him let loose on a dream pet project is a simple endorsement: its watching the master at work.

While not blown away by this series thus far, I've found that each issue has offered its fair share of surprises and quality storytelling. Maybe you just can't go wrong with the FF, the Negative Zone, and little green (wo)men.

No amount of fake aliens, British accents, silly disguises or pointless guest stars has helped. Well, maybe Batman can goose the proceedings, as hes the first A-lister to grace these parts since the lost, and his relationship to Ollie is an interesting one. And Speedy continues to be a fun and complex character in battle, and in the Queen family dynamics. But things are way off without Connor. Its past time to solve that first quest and get on with showing us just how exciting Ollie and Dinah can be together.

Gaydos, a welcome new addition to the Manhunter team, has dealt with struggling anti-heroes before, both with Daredevil and with Jessica Jones. But while Jones, in her post-Jewel private eye phase was equally determined to succeed despite frequent setbacks and missteps, Kates approach is not so fraught with insecurity. If anything, her greatest dangers come from her recklessness -- she takes on the big boys, whether shes ready or not. Shes a trained lawyer, after all. Who knows, she might just get lucky. Im sticking around in hopes it never runs out.

Deep stuff about loss, disappointment, rebellion and self-flagellation here, all in a little comic about a sexually permissive green giant, whose every cover emphasizes her figure whether its by Deodato, Mayhew, Granov or Horn. Pretty solid stuff from Peter David, and the unanswered questions mean the plot is still far from unfolding.

The issue ends where the series began, in Clarks office at the Daily Planet, where the bumbling reporter has apparently succumbed to heart failure, just as Luthor strikes. Superman made a lot of new friends as this series progressed, however. Luthor assures Lois and Jimmy (who handled Nasty with aplomb, by the way, appealing to the base instincts she wears, like all teenagers, on her sleeve) that Clark is the least of their worries, but I think the same can be said to Luthor. Hes got a deep hurting coming his way, and boy does he deserve it!

It's all way over the top, in that way that leaves most of the players to sound like stock characters rather than real people. Heinberg had more innovative ideas when he created this title, but of course he takes them to Hollywood first these days. I'm glad to see the Young Avengers (and the similarly MIA Runaways) have planned roles in Secret Invasion because both properties deserve more excitement than this sort of hack moralizing. The art by Breitweister is in the Michael Lark mode of grubby realism, which means this tale looks better than it reads.

The back-up story with the amusingly geeky Gardner continues to be more interesting than the upfront action tale, as he recounts the Tangent Earths alternate history, which includes Superman saving the world from a Galactus-class Ultra-Humanite. Its blatant exposition, but thats part of the point of Jurgens Tangent alternate reality. What we dont see this issue is the Tangent Batman indicated on the cover.

There are precious few characters one could expect Bruce to defer to in this way, but a JSA legacy hero is one of them. In fact, this choice can be read as another brilliant insight into how Batman operates. Jay is a genius, too, hes been doing this sort of thing for decades longer than Bruce, and hes far from approaching senility or being swayed by foolish pride. Hes a pro, and Bruce is content this issue to wind him up and let him go. Thats the mature, wise choice of a confident man. I mean, if the day comes when the Flash cant handle the Penguin, Bruce will be the first to see it.

Nikolaos seems to have all the cards at the end of the issue, but thats how cliffhangers work. I expect even more action in next months finale. And then I expect them to move right along adapting Hamiltons series of books featuring the stalwart Anita.

Surprising murders do not instant classics make, but great dialogue and beautiful art still make this an above average read. The momentum of Season Eight rolls on.

The art choices made by Tolibao are rather strange this issue; his figures have an extreme look that fits the story, but recalls Igor Kordeys unusual characterizations and compositions on New X-Men. Still, the Phoenix / Apocalypse battle is intense and full of passion, and a later splash-page featuring the entire motley crew currently at Xaviers institute is a nice reminder of the current state of things. Next up is drug addiction and gay lovers, but its really the Dell Otto covers that are going to keep me away. My X-Men have a different adjective in front of their name.

Libra and the Secret Society: they're nothing next to Darkseid. As always. Jury still out.So, basically, I read at least two of the Trinity already (and Superman when the Legion shows up), I don't care about Hal Jordan, and I'll give Final Crisis a shot mostly for J.G. Jones. Would I have done all those things before reading this issue? Yes.

He awakens where he began, mourning the loss of a generation of heroes and villains he knew so well. And so should we, but never more than if the events of this series don't stick. Maybe it's time for a Fifth World, though Darkseid and Orion live on. Will the new world equal the glory of all that has passed? That's a daunting task.

So, nothing earth-shatteringly novel in either plot (you pick which is A and which is B), but well-delivered action and melodrama, beautifully illustrated, and with our heroes all in fine form. Thats good enough for me, even though I swear I thought that baby in "Messiah CompleX" was going to do more than just vanish as soon as shed arrived.

The back-up story is actually more interesting, with an intriguing alternate take on the Metal Men and a very funny new version of Guy Gardner. His story also mentions Power Girl, who was one of the cleverest re-imaginings from the initial story. Tangent's biggest idea may be that Superman is evil, but its best ideas are the inspired differences of the smaller characters. I'm willing to keep reading the standard model plots to meet more.

The battle with Mace Boy is underwhelming, and the final revelation only underlines what weve always known: Green Arrow is a Batman imitation. Because hes the imitation, he has more flaws, and he gets to have a wife (rather than just doomed girlfriends). But must he have the same villains, too? After all the changes of One Year Later, and then the gritty recent mini-series, this more humorous and fluffy title has yet to find a way to balance the jokes with any sense of urgency. And though Dinah has had some showcase moments of physical prowess, shes definitely a supporting character in her husbands story. Can we expect her turn to come, given their shared billing?

Who wants to take a bet that the most innovative story will probably involve Kory's sex life? Churchill takes full advantage of the cheesecake factor in her sequence this issue, but he does give time to beefcake as well. Things seem a bit empty with hardly any established supporting characters making an appearance. This isn't the Junior Justice League anymore. So what is it? That's Winicks task, but he usually throws up his hands and breaks up the team before we find out.

The Reporter begins to make some sense of his world with an old-fashioned typewriter (one assumes computers await in his future). Westons realism and Straczynskis nuanced character work are both perfect for figuring out just how these outmoded concepts might update themselves (or fail in doing so) for a new age, and the Twelve continues to intrigue as it tracks their various cultural shocks step by misstep.

Despite all these distractions, the Legion is able to dispatch away teams to gather intel on the invaders, and Invisible Kid takes his own side mission to try and bond with the Tritonian girl who fought with them in Shooters first issue. These plots are ongoing, as is a possible dire development for Projectra. Shooter is following a common tactic of putting the team through a testing crucible in his initial run on the title, but hes doing it with subtlety and solid fiction construction skills that bode well for a long and intriguing new epoch of grittier realism and stability. Tension is building, and one feels that any major changes in plot or character direction will be well-earned, in fact probably foreshadowed and explored fully. When did good writing itself gain a nostalgic aspect?

It takes another fable, a certain Mr. Hansel, to finally take her by surprise towards the end of the issue, and even then her intel is far better than his. This is a fun, action-packed little adventure, and yet another example of how adaptable this concept is: Spy-thriller one week, sword-and-sorcery epic the next, and all sorts of charmingly Vertigo things in between. Another winner from a master of mixing the playful with the macabre.

How can we already be at the Detroit League and were only at issue #19? Hello? Anyone minding the store at all?

There are games within games in this issue, clever switches in points of view, and all the soapy frustration you could hope for. As this is set long before the endgame of the movie, things are still relatively hopeful and energetic, too. No closure yet in sight, and Whedon still gets to build the worlds that go with his funky and junky spaceship. Conrad returns as well on art duties, and he has the characters down, plus a degree of storytelling skill that makes Serenity one of the better quality of comic adaptations from another media. An editor's note inside explains the lack of multiple covers for this issue: each issue has a portion of one big poster, which will add up when you've bought all three. As it's by Adam Hughes, that's just one more bargain for your dollar.

Jae Lee has become a master of style who also delivers the solid meat of a story, and here while backgrounds are conveniently blurred masses of colorful fog, the principle players have such character and the expressions and details of costume and posture are more than enough to bring each figure to vivid life. Theres a little bit of a sense of seeing a series of frozen tableaux, but the eerie stillness does befit the classic multi-genre hero quest, anchoring Kings pastiche of sources into a convincing world of its own. The covers for this Marvel-produced corner of the Dark Tower mythos have all been memorable, and this second volume of tall tales seems poised to repeat the success of the first.

This title isn't earth shattering, but it's still Jaime's book despite the larger events that limit his world (and may have rendered his homebase, Mutant Town, meaningless), and this returning villain is an inspired choice for the film noir world that Jaime seems meant to inhabit. David maintains a unique and entertaining corner of the X-Men that's no less interesting for being off the beaten path.

I think what shes going to need is her friends, and I think despite the plethora of annoying burdens, this team is poised to rise again.

Which is all for the better, because this is all about the love story of Anita and her impending suitor, too.

Note that the issue offers four alternate covers: one by Byrne, one by Zach Howard, a photo cover from the episode itself, and an uncolored sketch version by Byrne.

Hudlin has taken what seemed like an editorially mandated alliance aimed at propping up flagging sales (Storm's popularity has far outshined the Panther's for years) and turned it into a believable relationship, here one with believable offspring, diplomatic allies, and challenges in making sure a Wakandan son can safely marry the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The future developments are believable and many of them compelling in their scope. Apparently, this marriage is a positive for both characters.

Ollie is in fact on the precipice of putting down the costume when circumstances force his hand again. Something worse than mere assassination is going on, and Winick, by keeping the focus on emotions and family ties, is keeping me interested thus far. I have no idea where the story's going, but I feel like the writer does.

Whoever Twilight is (and the merciless teasing about his identity continues apace, good one, Joss!), he's not as clever as he thinks. Because if Buffy didn't doubt, she wouldn't still be human. But she doesn't just doubt, she learns. And she'll get her foe's information yet, though I'm sure the price will be as high as ever. As Buffy says to ruefully conclude the excellently paced issue, "Yay me."

This series was dealt a fatal blow with the murder of 355 a few issues back. The void she left wont ever be filled. She, more than either of the Beths (the pretty blonde girls that formed the core of the traditional hero quest for so many issues of this title), was the love of Yoricks life, the ideal partner who challenged him beyond his own self-perceived limits time and time again. Its really a sign of his strength that Yorick survived her demise at all. His daughter (another Beth) the Prime Minister has confined him in his own best interest, but really, what was she thinking? It takes more than a straightjacket to hold a Fool.

The action is very cinematic, and looks a bit shinier Phantom Menace era actually than it does resemble the rougher and scrappier Luke and Leia years. And Raana Tey is a memorable character, a formidable force in battle intent on a misguided mission. She's a zealot, but also a real Knight. There's an interesting discussion between Zayne and Shel about whether one can even serve the Dark Side if one thinks one is doing what's right. It's all a lot to be going on for a reader who has only dropped in for one issue before the major crossover looming in Dark Horse's entire Star Wars stable in the coming year. But hopefully the solid storytelling will continue into the new direction.

Cade's a man who generates his own trouble in a dark world full of way too many opportunities. But there are always glimmers of hope, of light in the darkness, and one senses he just might find them one day, despite himself. Duursema and Ostrander have fashioned a rich world full of colorful characters that really does maximize the legacy of the cinematic tales.

This series, though well-executed as a procedural mystery with super-hero trappings, is leaving me cold and a little turned off as it progresses. I dont think I want to learn these lessons. But Ill be back next issue, because Rucka is the undeniable master of these characters. Im just thinking theyll do fine in the larger super-hero world too and not just on the mean streets with the crazies. Renee and Kathy should get that chance.

The individual battles are cool, with Apollo and Midnighter facing nightmare versions of themselves, the speedster proving especially challenging for many of the heroes, Rose Tattoo coping with her serial killer guilt, and the Engineer using her web interface to crack some of Bendixs defense systems. Its a logical, solid fight, shown step by step, and though it gets us to some clichd places (everythings fine, except for that wily stealth traitor) it does so with style and gusto. Midnighter makes some dirty jokes, Apollo takes everything seriously as always, and Hawksmoor kicks the hell out of his opposition. This is what you want from an Authority tale, especially if youre nostalgic for the good old days.

This title is currently without equal. The imaginative scope is breathtaking!

By the end of the issue, all the pieces and parts have come together, though were back to having Bishop, Cable, and Predator X fighting over a very cute little baby. Its decent enough as a New X-Men issue, if confusing, and the writers do keep the systemic overload of characters in character. But the cover (one of Finchs best, looking like a lost Durer etching full of young mutants) eclipses the art within completely.

Eaton does the best Patrick Stewart Ive yet seen when it comes to Charles. While his work isnt as showy as most of the other artists on this crossover, its very competent in delineating a complicated and broad field of characters. Messiah CompleX continues to impress with a clear vision that has clearly been understood and acceded to by all the talent involved.

This tale reads like an interlude in the earlier tales of corruption, because this creature was vile from the start. The beautiful veneer that coats this story in familiar, comforting style only exaggerates the horror within. This is a comic that delivers exactly what it promises, whether youre ready or not.

Back to the demon lair, the creature reveals some harsh truths about Willow to Buffy and vice versa. Both have selfish and very human reasons for recent questionable actions, and finding them out doesnt drive a wedge so much as reveal an ongoing estrangement, despite their evident closeness. Soldiers in the same army dont always share the same goals, and the same girls who can together defeat their crafty oracle (Buffy slices him up with a blade of Willows magic fire, pretty nifty) with such ease and power can sadly stumble when it comes to just talking things out honestly.

Andre Divito, fresh off her excellent work in the recent space war, is a welcome presence on the art. Her clear, fluid style (a bit redolent of Scott Kolins solid work) is always in sync with the writers words, evincing a command of storytelling that keeps the story fast-paced and dramatic, but slows down for the conversational moments as well. This book has found its stride.

New artist Manapul is a real find; he grasps the dynamics of each character immediately, and builds on rather than abandons the quite compelling Barry Kitson recent redesigns. All in all, while not galaxy-shaking, this new issue has a fresh energy and goes through all the expected motions with style and confidence. Its a great base from which to build as solid and legendary a new era for the book as Shooter is capable of (though it is interesting to compare this titular appearance to the currently much more nostalgic take going on in Action Comics). Id say both iterations prove how much life is left in this old concept still. Welcome back!

The best move that Palmiotti and Gray make is that, once Dino is chastised and our challengers make their case, these women act like the JLA, and get quickly down to business. Our Atom was here but hes moved on, and the journey hasnt yet ended. Which is to be expected, as hes just the excuse that powers these world jaunts. Meanwhile this was a fun, mildly diverting, totally slight and missable stop along the way.

David Aja is fully on board with his grounded style, perfect for an action/spy/exotic locale sort of tale. Hes proven surprisingly spry in coming up with inventive designs for the quasi-mystical combatants in the escalating competition. This book has about seven things going on at once, and each is balanced and clear with through-lines and narrative climaxes hitting not predictably, but satisfyingly exactly where they should. Immortal Iron Fist continues to be one of the years revelations, proof that theres life in the old dogs if theyre revived in style.

The issue looks great, as usual, with Cho more than capable of rendering the familiar occurrences inside: A microscopic journey into an artificial environment, a maddened hero who does more harm than good, a last minute save that shouldnt work but does because of dramatic timing. Its all pretty shallow, but action-filled, which still makes it more fun than the usual issue of the companion title.

Those wolves. Theyre always so impatient. And hungry.

A series of shocking reversals, reveals and changes ends the issue, putting a finale to this opening arc, but leaving new events gaping in a cliffhanger. Im not sure how to feel about it (though it was predicted on the website boards months ago), but Im happy enough with this series thus far that the dire development isnt going to be a dealbreaker for me.

The cover by Finch is a surprisingly tender one of Cable (loaded with ammo and metal parts and pieces) cradling the newborn Messiah with protective fervor. His role in the unfolding story is still a subplot, but probably not for long, as so far things have moved very briskly.

The only fresh aspect that reaches out to me is the debut of a new Valkyrie, as I think the Marvel universe has been without one for far too long. This one seems to be the Thor groupie from the ersatz Defenders of Ultimates 2, only shes somehow gained real powers. Im curious to see how that happened, and if the deaths that occur this issue are meant to last but theres little use pretending this is a continuation of the successful series thus far. Its a radical reboot, and it leaves the team more like their 616 counterparts than ever. Loebs challenge is going to be to make a case for this team when weve already got Mighty (big events) and New (dysfunctional squabblers).

The real ogre behind it all is Henry Bendix, as always, the megalomaniacal mad scientist that created half of them and repeatedly endangered them all. Its indirectly his fault when the inevitable happens and two heroes are grievously injured. This cliffhanger promises even worse consequences next issue. Of course, Gage also might want to let us into that bunker before the mini-series itself is over.

This sequence comes at the end of an issue that includes full splash-pages full of urban detail and that remembers Peter is a very young man and keep up with him as he wall-crawls, makes up with Kitty on rooftops, and generously goes out to offer some snacks to his S.H.I.E.L.D.-watchers when hes back home. Peter is always, first and foremost, human, and his suffering and his compassion go hand in hand. Hes an incredibly emotional hero, and Bendis makes sure he feels all of them to the extreme. Bendis and Immonen are both up to capturing every aspect of Peters danger-fraught obstacle course through life. This book remains the sole Ultimate title to still channel that universe made anew feeling that was supposed to define the line when it started. Its never lost steam.

Comics have one advantage over TV shows; the budget for FX is unlimited. Neither the Buffy comic nor this one has fully exploited that factor yet. Urrus demonic anatomy loses form, and his inks are so dark its hard to make out the details of the more interesting creations. His characters are reasonable facsimiles of the actors, but the color palette and shading needs to lighten up considerably. Theres a way to do that and still not break the bleak mood, Im sure. I just hope this grim state of affairs doesnt persist forever; Angel was best when it was funny, even if some of the laughs were the equivalent of whistling in the dark.

Im trying to write this review without using the word old-fashioned, because that sounds great for comfort food but not so exciting for super-hero battles. But with a haunted house plot that could have been on in any decade of 20th century sitcoms, and Perez doing big, bold sound effects and reaction shots that look like halos of energy, this book is definitely a throwback to a simpler, more entertaining day. Ive yet to find one issue wanting in interest, adventure or a solid, entertaining plot.

The actual mechanics of the plot are a bit overwrought, as Karla digs up Melissas estranged mother, knowing the way to her enemys vulnerability is through painful familial dysfunction. Things take very melodramatic and abrupt turns, but Gage succeeds for the most part in keeping the focus on the power struggle, and the denouement shows reserves of strength and wisdom springing from unexpected sources. Not earth-shaking, but grounded in humanity and moral relativity, firmly in the gray area that this book calls home.

Wherever these subplots are going, I trust Simone to use them to enhance Dianas myth, not trash it. Unlike most of the writers who take on this task, she seems to already know who Diana is, and thats really the battle already won.

That will wait for next issue, though. This issue, the fun is to be had in the Age of Chivalry visuals of Buckingham and Leialoha, who conjure up convincing suits of armor and a plethora of ghosts, trolls and weaponry. The battle with Grinder the Troll has a big and blocky Kirby-esque feel, and theres definitely a feeling of arcane ancient systems at work. As someone dipping in without keeping regular track of the series, the issue is confusing in the details but clear and entertaining in the overall plot of a king trying to protect his lands non-violently.

This is a chilly thriller that hints of far worse than it shows. Thats just about the perfect tone in a world where every day is Halloween.

This is how youre supposed to feel when Buffy meets Faith. Confused. But in a good way.

This is, by the way, nearly as long as Ms. Marvel's first series lasted, but this story has really picked up the pace from the rather lethargic and peripheral Puppet Master arc, and got us back on track with Carol becoming a first-tier cosmic super hero. Reed hasnt quite balanced Carol and her various jobs with her supporting cast, but picking up long-running plotlines like this is a step in the right direction.

Thats an interesting concept to explore, and it may happen as The Man organizes a force to send against Luke and his non-mutant band of heroes, led by a surprising agent. For this story to work, much less expected and odd variations need to develop on this provisional and topsy-turvy earth. We shouldnt see familiar events just replayed; we should see new and strange outcomes and alliances. And more intriguing art (how about Kelly Jones, Mike Allred, Khari Evans, Charlie Adlard, Paul Gulacy?) would be a huge plus as well. As of now, the basic concepts are present but relatively undeveloped.

Guilty Pleasures gets quite grim by the end, so heres hoping for a much darker and more characteristic second volume that continues the extreme gorefest begun in this issue. Its Grand Guignol for the twenty-first century.

The large cast of intelligent uber-beings keeps our interest as we move to a truly surprising cliffhanger, one of those good ones that though it is a legitimate reveal only deepens the larger mystery. This one looks like a winner, and an un-billed Countdown tie-in that may actually amount to something.

It would have been nice to have less of a recap and more clues as to whats going on in this dark future, but that nice surprise and the room Johns gives Frank to do what he does best still make this an exceptional issue.

Jocks work is heavy on the dry brush inks, which gives an immediacy and lack of polish that fits the story. He has a bit of a Gaydos quality, though his work has even less room for the soft and pretty. His cover is easily his best contribution, though, with Ollie affecting a convincingly gangsta Robin in the hood pose.

So while Im not blown away by this odd issue, Ive got a lot of faith in David to figure out what hes going to do to make it his own. Hes quite rightly been lauded for writing some of the classic Hulk tales over the years, and his psychologically convoluted X-factor remains a favorite title. I just hope, along the way, he figures out how to do it without bumming Jennifer out permanently.

Nothing really amazing happens in this issue, but it sets up the crossover effectively, identifying all of the initial players and clarifying the stakes and the goal. It looks to follow the pattern of the Endangered Species prequel and run between all-four X-titles for the next 12 issues, which means Ill read exactly half of it, and not the conclusion, unless I make exceptions to my buying rules. Brubaker, I know, has a strong sense of order about projects like this, but it remains to be seen if the other writers can live up to whatever occurs in Uncanny. If this issue marks Silvestris only participation, Ill be glad to buy it.

In short order Jason is acting up in school, stealing from girls and destroying property. These things always build to a violent climax, and this one is quite grizzly. Its the utter destruction of an innocent family, triggered by the evil of comic books. I always knew those would lead to no good.

The issue ends in an almost hoary bit of whimsy: A page in Destinys book, now being guarded by the Challengers of the Unknown (the real ones, not the ones looking for Ray Palmer currently). If theres an ongoing arc starting from this seventh issue, it seems it will belong to the Challs, who are trying to decipher some impending mystery or threat in piecemeal fashion. But if so, it looks like the team-ups wont be as directly related as they were in the first arc. Thats fine, as long as theyre as fun and good looking as this one.

This is big-time space opera picking up from the threads dropped by Claremont and Cockrum thirty years ago, an elaboration on the vicissitudes of life within in an inter-galactic empire. Its nice to see Vulcan humbled, and the three remaining issues promise to be full epic oppositions as well. Its not clear how serious the struggle over the MKraan Crystal and its contested site is going to get, but the idea of the Shiar learning a lesson despite their arrogance definitely heightens my interest.

This issue he portrays a reckless, violent Canary, though her feelings are understandable. Shes got friends and family of exceptional skill to be smart for her, and its great to see just how respected and loved she is. While Im not all that sure about his ability to depict a sane Canary, Im fine with his Green Lantern and Batman, who are her main allies this issue. Thanks mostly to Chiangs undeniable talent, Ill definitely check back in next issue in hope of the best. But it could really go either way at this point.

Its time for M-Day to be over, though. In the back-up feature, Henry finds no more help in magic than he did in science, but theres a sense that a new hope is right around the corner. Thatd be great for this book, because these doobies are depressed enough with all their personal issues without contemplating the death of their species as well.

While competently done, this book was depressing, with an antagonist who comes off as more of a big whiner than a truly scary player.

The other major player is Java, a revived cave man whose personality development and loyalties are something of a mystery. Theres nothing new at all here, really, but its competently done and may be the best approach to take to a character whose colorful body is made up of a combination of shape-changing elements in an uneasy but interesting patchwork. Jurgens is playing it as straight as possible and the basic competence shown so far reads as more interesting than any fancy postmodern retcons on the concept would. What remains to be seen is if Metamorpho has a different resonance in the 21st century than he did in the 20th, where his freakish but trippy nature had a niche-level entertainment value.

Anderson also turns in his usual affecting job on the ground level. His characters brim with emotion, wear appropriate costuming, and find their moods reflected in their postures along with (this being a pulp comic) their deformities and cartoonish exaggerations. What makes it all work is the series of small moments that Busiek orchestrates (featuring brief but powerful glimpses of Hellhound, Tommy Gunn, the Platypus, The Incarnate, the Irregulars, the Jade Dragons an abundance of richly colorful street fighters to fill out the gritty urban milieu) into a remembrance of things past, and times bygone. One gets the feeling he could keep doing this forever, and in fact there are two more Books planned. The only drawback I can think of is the infrequency of the issue. But thats because theyre always, like this one, worth the wait.

Also included in this issue is the usual long letters page and the most heartfelt tribute to the recently passed Mike Wieringo Ive yet read. While not involved in a major story at the moment, the Dragon remains an entertaining, humorous and clever spoof of many previous superhero books.

Also interesting is the Weapon Omega story, which reads like the next installment of Oemings abruptly truncated Omega Flight series. Someone seems to realize that theres an unfinished story in Michael Pointer, the mutant who was used by the Collective to kill Alpha Flight. It galls me to have to explain that awful non-story, but I liked Oemings series and in this tale Koslowski tries to build something out of the non-entity that Michael has been ever since Bendis dropped a bomb on him. USAgent is excellently used as a pro disappointed to be in the midst of such amateurs, and Andrea Di Vitos art achieves a lovely Tom Grummet feel, the highest of compliments from me. I cant remember if the last Marvel Comics Presents produced anything lasting (didnt it debut with the original BWS Weapon X story, come to think of it?), but Im willing to stick around for more of this one.

The covers the right idea, though, answering this series debut a year later with a parade of villains rather than heroes. If this title had a problem under Meltzer, it was in finding a consistent foe to aim the heroes at; they were distracted by guest stars, and the pace was very leisurely. This issue is quite lively, but we need a greater sense of drama and more realistic visuals to up the stakes.

But until he figures out who Ollie and Dinah are as a couple, and why theyd ever tempt doom by getting together, Im going to be a little doubtful of their new ongoing series.

The life hasnt gone out of this title, but the humor has, and that was a big part of it. Soap opera angst and torture scenes (of our heroes, not their quarry) arent what we signed on for. They need a savior, and soon.

The adult Number One has a human head (he was already balding as a child) attached to an apes body for some reason, and adult Number Seven has written a tell-all book kvetching about her extraordinarily exclusive family. Is there a reason to get more involved in these convoluted goings-in, with barely a smidgeon of character and the only developed one (the Daddy Warbucks figure, a.k.a. The Monocle) being already dead? For me, despite all the lovely tentacles, no.

The basic contradiction to this concept is that the Boys are supers too, of course. They have the same powers as the heroes they take down. And the same lack of morals. They have to in order to knock some sense into them. But in the relativistic world that Ennis has created, they qualify as the good guys fighting the bad ones. In a very strange way, this is a very hopeful, emotional and even sentimental comic book.

Theres an anti-climax of sorts when her major foe for this mini, Cobra, escapes (he deserves a major beatdown) and Pierce/Liebe even set up some subplots with the vile Omega Red. Not sure if well ever see that happen, but at least this series has succeeded in making a case for a new street fighting angel protecting her borough of New York. The story will read well in trade though it doesnt really come to an end, as the heroine and her flashy allies win only a battle, but not the war. I hope the trade includes all six gorgeous Mack covers, or that he does a new one for it.

Arthur Suydams inventive covers continue the Zombie apocalypse theme, and Portela does a consistent job on the inside putting across Hudlins moments of very grim humor, with some especially effective silhouettes at crucial dramatic moments. Definitely qualifying as a funny book this month, one hopes the story of TChalla and his wacky crew will eventually get back to more serious themes.

But I have one request, Gail, and we whove held in there have earned it: Astonish me!

They have jettisoned one aspect of the old days that I miss, though. Jeryn Hogarth has been kidnapped, and his mother is being tortured; Dannys chosen CEO seems completely without resources of his own, and that wasnt the case back in the day. Maybe it was a cheesy James Bondian bit of fluff, but Jeryn always traveled with his own bodyguard cadre of deadly supermodels. If the writers can reinvigorate everything else about Dannys pulpy, contradictory roots, surely they can update the femizon police force. It would have been fun seeing them kick Hydras ass, too.

The issue begins with a gruesome scene of our three heroes impaled on metal spikes, but not to worry! Theres time travel in this tale, from beginning to end! Enough to spare even Brainy and Waids new Legion, but, hey, nobodys perfect!

Im subscribing to this title, in the hopes that the series can keep up with this stunning debut. And that Johns and Jurgens stick with the title for at least 24 issues. Make that 26; half of 52 is good enough.

All in all, one can sense that while this battle is over, there were plans to move on to further stories with this crew, and no plan once the ongoing was truncated into a mini. We get a rather abrupt denouement, with Michaels standard-issue redemption (still with no indication of his personal characterization in sight), and then a vague and inconclusive where are they now? wrap-up that leaves open the possibility of the team continuing, or not, with or without a kamikaze Bill, a re-retired Talisman, and a missing-in-action Sasquatch. A disappointing finish to a new title that showed promise at the outset, one that deserved more of a chance to prove itself.

This tense sequence, cutting back and forth from one worst-case-scenario to another, is the essence of this title, and of what Brubaker and Lark bring to a book that is like Spider-mans worst day ever, issue after issue. Not always to my taste, but I applaud their craft.

Which means he wont be Marvel Boy at all anymore when theyre done, but nice try. I mean, it worked so well with Sentry.

In the Endangered Species backup, we get the unlikely scenario of Beast confronting Dark Beast. Mike Carey keeps the dialogue crisp, ably reflecting an uneasy encounter between the desperate Henry we know and the fascistic goals of the moral-free version from a world ruled by Apocalypse. Hennessy (and the colorist) manage to distinguish our cat-like furball from the more old-school but corrupted alternate. You cant blame Hank for his ultimate choice, as everyone else hes turned to has turned him down.

Because the Goddamn Batman likes it this way!

This issue is fine, as far as it goes. But the title has been swamped with villains and plots not its own and has really lost its footing on the original concept (bad girl bounty hunters). The cover, by Takeshi Miyazawa, is the best part of the book. Clay Mann isnt bad, but his style is suited to Daredevil or Vertigo, not to alien invasions and little green men and insect goo.

Because its Perez and Wiacek, everythings clear and shiny and bright, save for Batman, who amusingly remains a creature of the night even in the distant future. Waid mines many aspects of DC history to construct this rather classic tale, which is really just a quest with several teams pursuing a powerful object simultaneously. Classic formulas are classics for a reason; the only drawback here is Waid has saddled himself with a lackluster version of the iconic future teen team, who pale completely next to the retro versions brought to such vivid life recently in the JLoA/JSoA crossover.

Theres one small flame of amusement in the issue as well: Americop has a way with a bad pun, though he gets in two few lines before the Thunderbolts arrive.

However, it all looks beautiful thanks to Larrocas dramatic and for once clear and well-inked art. Theres no problem following the action here, though in this transitional issue theres not that much action to follow. While an ongoing story needs a transitional issue now and then, next issue we need fewer tunnels and more fighting.

Itd be nice if there were a steady dose of interesting Superman stories, but thats the downside of the Hollywood influence. These big shots are busy and dont always finish what they start or make a full-time commitment. Its a waiting game for stories like this, but I guess it remains worth it.

The backup tale shows a much younger Sinestro befriend and mentor Hal Jordan, who doesnt seem to take his ring seriously enough. This tale is introduced by Lyssa Drak, a Talokian rendered in all the femme fatale glamour Dave Gibbons can evoke. Hal has never been the most likable of the Lanterns (I mean, they had to invent Guy Gardner to give him somebody to appear better than), but theres a feeling in this flashback that an opportunity was lost when the Guardians cast Sinestro out so abruptly.

That cant happen soon enough, because Thor and Donald Blake are too bland to continue without a colorful supporting cast and some enemies other than demons and Loki. Though it is a solidly constructed comic, this new number one doesnt seem to have a fresh vision of the character. Its yet another example of a recent trend to start new stories slowly. I actually miss the formula of dropping us into the center of the action and catching us up on the run, which seems to stem from olden days. Without an exciting plot, this return seems perfunctory.

*The Villain is the Hero in His Own Story

The potential is there to make this season crucial to the Buffy canon. In fact, I dont even have to cross my fingers: Im sure it will be.

Larroca has always had an excellent command of anatomy, and his painted style is more successful than most. Its interesting to see him dealing with the kind of clear, straightforward script Brubaker writes (compared to the loopy oddities of his stint working with Peter Milligan recently), but he still seems to gloss over significant details at times. For example, Caliban is supposed to be terribly hurt halfway through the story, and transformed thereafter. But all I see is that he got skinnier. Larroca usually dresses up weak scripts; paired here with a solid talent like Brubaker, I expect to see their communication skills improve over time.

This tale is exciting and nice to look at. Its brutal and action-packed. It also doesnt make much sense. Lets hope it will before its over.

And thats the special strength of comics to me. If you dont know what he and Johnny discuss that leads to Johnnys delighted bellow of Cosmic Torch!, you still get the gist and if you do, you realize just how clever and observant TChalla really is. Layers, all handled with fun energy by McDuffie, who provides a nice sense of closure at the end of his welcome first story that addresses this retooled title in a retooled Marvel world, advancing the plot without breaking it and starting all over again.

That boon is apparently not to last, however. More Golden, stat!

Cho provides solid storytelling for most of the issue, amidst all the cheesecake, but the really scary moments of Terminator-esque transformations he hints at with Ultron dont really come off; she has no costume, just a glistening silver body, and she looks rather bland against all her spandex foes. Soccer Mom Ultron is an intriguing idea, but he really doesnt take it all the way to the creepiness the concept needs. Hey, Cho: my eyes are up here!